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Fire chief says overtime could be eased with hires; FEMA reimbursements bolster fire fund
Summary
The fire chief proposed three new firefighter positions to reduce chronic overtime and said the department received large FEMA reimbursements; commissioners urged caution on new hires given election-year revenue uncertainty.
Suwannee County's fire rescue chief asked commissioners to consider adding up to three positions to reduce overtime and improve service coverage. The chief said mandatory overtime is a persistent cost driver—one vacancy every day can cost about $185,000 annually in overtime—and that hiring three additional staff would cost about $261,000 all-in but would only reduce overtime by an estimated $185,000, so the county must weigh staffing against long-term costs.
The chief also reported a large FEMA reimbursement related to hurricane repairs: roughly $750,000 to $990,000 is now expected or already received and included in the fire fund, which supports a list of prioritized capital needs (brush truck replacements, boats, station upgrades). Commissioners agreed to consider a modest, phased approach given the county's broader revenue uncertainty later this year and asked the chief to identify which immediate purchases could be made from restricted fire funds.
"That 1 position, if there was 1 person off every single day for all 365 days, costs $185,000 in overtime," the chief said when explaining the cost dynamics. Commissioners requested a breakdown of how overtime and staffing hires would change net operating costs over a two-year period.
