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Fire officials say call volume has doubled; council weighs adding firefighter and brush-truck priority
Summary
The fire chief told council that call volume grew from the low 600s to roughly 1,200 over six years; the department said three firefighters per shift is inadequate and the long-term goal is four per shift, prompting council to prioritize an additional firefighter and a brush truck for capital planning.
The fire department described a growing workload and a staffing shortfall. "Call volumes have increased exponentially. In the last 6 years, our call volume has doubled from in the low 6 hundreds to the low 1 thousands to this couple years of close to 1,200 calls," an agency official (S6) said, and recommended moving toward four firefighters per shift for safety.
Council discussed capital needs such as a brush truck and replacing aging apparatus and noted the lifecycle concerns for equipment; members agreed to prioritize firefighter staffing among the top items while recognizing capital purchases could be phased or funded from capital sources if grants materialize.
