Fire chief cites overtime costs, asks council for three operations hires

Draper Fire Chief (Clint) told the council the department was fully staffed for only 27 days in 2024, a gap he linked to vacancies and turnover that forced heavy reliance on overtime. He said, “In not in fiscal year 24, we used over $615,000 in overtime to fill our positions.”

Clint framed the staffing request as a workforce‑stability and public‑safety move: maintaining four‑person staffing on engines and ladders supports NFPA 1710 targets such as a first engine on scene within four minutes for 90% of calls. He asked the council to approve three additional operations positions—one per platoon—saying that prior hires had already reduced overtime and that the overtime budget could offset a substantial share of the cost over time. Finance (John) was asked to supply the specific incremental cost estimates for the three FTEs.

The chief also reviewed response‑time gaps across the city and a proposed west‑side station site (city‑owned land off Galena) to close a service coverage hole west of I‑15. He warned longer lead times for major apparatus—engines roughly four years, aerials 50–52 months—and noted cost escalation for replacements (an aerial now estimated near $1.8 million). Council members pressed on the trade‑offs between using overtime vs. hiring permanent staff; Clint said the additional hires would reduce daily overtime use and improve employee wellness and retention.

The council did not take an immediate formal vote; the request will be folded into upcoming budget deliberations and finance will provide cost projections for the three proposed positions.