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Fire chief seeks three firefighters and outlines costly ladder‑truck replacement
Summary
Fire Chief Wellings asked council for three full‑time firefighter positions and described capital needs including plumb‑exhaust systems and a $2.6–$2.7 million ladder‑truck replacement (tiller option discussed), citing increases in apparatus costs and multi‑year lead times.
Chief Wellings summarized the fire department’s year—new engines, increased training, volunteer onboarding and enhanced rescue coverage—and highlighted a staffing shortfall driven by overlapping calls. He reported an average response time of 5 minutes, 23 seconds and said roughly one‑third of calls overlap, which pressures minimum daily staffing.
“Personnel request for 25/26: I am requesting three additional full time firefighters,” he told council, and outlined a multi‑year staffing plan that would include reclassifying a training officer into an assistant chief role and adding additional firefighters in later fiscal years to match growth and future stations.
On capital needs, Wellings requested plumb‑exhaust systems for Stations 2 and 3 and presented a replacement for the department’s 23‑year‑old ladder truck. He described a tiller‑truck option that could lower future replacement costs and improve maneuverability in tight spaces; staff also noted apparatus build times have lengthened to 19 months or more and prices have risen substantially since 2019.
Councilors asked about station capacity and timing around new stations; staff said the department is coordinating CIP and financing to align staffing and apparatus timing. No formal action was taken; staff will include the requests in the FY26 budget materials.
