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Fire chief seeks six hires and pay changes to reach 24-hour stations
Summary
The fire chief presented a five-year plan to reach 24-hour staffing at two stations, requested six frontline positions to start the change and asked for pay-scale adjustments for department leadership; he proposed using CAD funds to cover the six hires and flagged long-term salary needs.
The fire chief outlined a multi-year plan aimed at improving staffing and reducing overtime by moving two stations to 24-hour operations. He requested six positions (three firefighters and three lieutenants) to enable the first phase of that shift and said the department could fund those positions from the county assistance district (CAD) to avoid an immediate property-tax hit.
On pay scale, the chief argued for better separation between ranks and for raises for command staff that reflect responsibilities and retention risks. He said the department faces recruitment pressures and that roughly 40% of personnel are seeking work elsewhere, making sustained staffing solutions urgent. The chief also noted a one-time estimated cost of about $850,000 to replace self-contained breathing apparatus across the department; he offered trade-offs such as moving that capital purchase out of recurring payroll requests.
Commissioners expressed sympathy but emphasized constrained fiscal capacity and the need to balance the fire requests against other county needs. Staff offered to model the CAD-funded hires and provide more precise numbers to the judge before she finalizes the proposed budget.
