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Commission hears Fire & EMS stakeholder warning about schedule change and possible EMS privatization
Summary
A commissioner who attends the Fire & EMS stakeholder committee reported the department is considering moving from a 24-on/48-off schedule to a 24-on/72-off cycle, which could require hiring more staff and might lead to privatizing EMS; an estimated cost increase of $8–10 million was raised and commissioners were urged to follow stakeholder meetings.
A commission member who serves on the Fire & EMS stakeholder committee briefed the Community Multicultural Commission on a potential operational change at the fire department: a scheduling proposal to move crews toward 72 hours off between shifts to allow more recovery time. The member said management has discussed options to pay for increased staffing, including outsourcing transport/EMS.
"One option was to get rid of the EMS service and privatize it," the member said, noting that would shift costs and potentially require a tax or fee increase. The member estimated the staffing and pay changes could represent an $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 increase in expenditures and encouraged commissioners and citizens to attend stakeholder presentations to learn more.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about coverage and whether adding shifts would increase service for citizens; the reporting member said the change was intended to increase firefighter recovery time rather than increase coverage. No city staff representative took formal action in the commission meeting; members were directed to the Fire & EMS stakeholder committee for more detailed briefings and any potential budget requests.
