"We're at a breaking point": St. Paul fire chief proposes $3.8M increase for 2023 budget
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Paul Fire Department is proposing a nearly $4 million budgetary increase in the city's 2023 budget.
Chief Butch Inks made his case to St. Paul City Council Wednesday, emphasizing that the department is doing more than ever before with only slightly higher staffing levels.
Inks is proposing a $74,509,998 budget for 2023 - an increase of 5.5 percent. The changes to the general fund would include adding an additional nine staff members, including two fire investigators and a new deputy chief of alternate response.
The moves are presented in part to relieve a staff that is responding to more calls than ever before.
In 2013, the department's 433 sworn staff responded to 38,569 calls. Next year, it's projected that 444 staff will be responsible for an anticipated 63,221 calls. The means while staffing has increased by 2.5 percent, demand has gone up by 64 percent.
"We're the busiest department in the state," said St. Paul Fire Captain and Local 21 President Mike Smith. "It's taken a toll on the women and men that serve every single day."
Capt. Smith says the overworking has led to sleep deprivation, and more claims of PTSD amongst staffers.
"We've been asked to do more for less, and we're at a breaking point," he said.
Under Inks' proposal, the department would also look to get its money's worth for routine calls that take time and resources.
These include calls to nursing homes to lift residents - something that happens more than three times a day, every day of the year on average, Inks told council members. A $350 fee would mean the city's 1,200 annual calls for lift service could net the department nearly a half-million dollars each year.
Additional money in the budget would go towards maintaining supply levels given the increased calls, while paying for services like gasoline that have increased in price.
While Inks' is asking for more staff, Smith says the department truly needs additional firefighters more than anything.
"The run volume keeps increasing, but we're not doing anything to add more resources or additional firefighters," he said.
"The long-term impact of continuing to respond to rising call volumes with the same amount of staff would have a negative impact on the service provided," said St. Paul Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter gave this written statement to WCCO: "Our Fire Department does exceptional work for our community. This proposal allows for critical investments into our Community-First Public Safety strategies to ensure SPFD has the resources needed to deliver the high-quality service our residents have come to expect."
The final 2023 city budget is expected to be approved in the coming months.
