Salaries are biggest increase in city Fire Department budget, extra positions to end next year
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Heading into 2027, the Jamestown Fire Department is seeing the majority of the increase in their budget for next year in the area of salaries as ARPA and SAFER grant funding expires.
Fire Chief Ryan Roush presented the department's 2027 budget to the City Council on Monday, highlighting the need for some additional equipment such as water hose replacements and spare self contained breathing apparatuses before delving into the department's expected salary and related area increases.
The salary increases have to do with the ending of the SAFER grant, which funded eight positions in the fire department, and the ending of the ARPA funds, which funded four positions. Some positions, Roush said, have already attritioned out.
"At our peak number we were at 68, we're down to 65 through attrition, which we've kind of been planning on for the last year, slowly getting down to a manageable number, staying within the parameters of the grant so we don't lose any additional funding," Roush said. "With the three retirements slated for next year, that's going to get us down six of the eight SAFER positions."
It is required for the department to maintain 62 line personnel with the grant, and that is where they currently sit Roush said. Roush said his position, code inspector and maintenance do not count towards that number as they are off-line positions. Next year, Roush said it is expected that they would be down to 62 overall with 59 in-line positions on the trucks. Roush said this is a workable number with people rotating out, and with the deployment of the second ambulance. 58 would be the bare minimum amount of positions needed for the department to be able to maintain what they are currently doing, he added.
It was noted that with EMS revenue the four positions funded by ARPA will be able to be retained going forward. It was also discussed what gets sent out to EMS calls, which Roush said depends on the type of call classification, equipment rental and lease, required training and certifications, and medical supplies for the ambulance. The department is looking to replace their AEDs, or automatic external defibrillators, next year as well.
"Our current AEDs we've been slowly replacing as we can fit it into that budget," Roush said. "They're not serviceable anymore. I think they're 15 years old, the model we have, so we've been cycling them out as we're getting air codes, and they're just not able to work on them. They won't service them. They're $2500 a piece I think."