Budgets have been proposed for both the city and county, for Fiscal Year 2016-2017. Here are details on the fire department and fire services expenditures:

City of Raleigh

Proposed budget presented to City Council on Tuesday.

Highlights:

• Replace two engines and one ladder. [ Ed. note #1: Need more! Ed. note #2: Hearing it’s actually two ladders and one engine. ]
• Move Station 1 and Headquarters out of warehouse district, with new facility built over three years.
• Add two full-time positions: Deputy Fire Marshal and Senior Staff Support Specialist. The latter converts a part-time funded position.

Capital Projects:

• Continued fire station renovation program ($6.5M over five years).
• New Fire Station 1 and Administrative Offices ($23.9M over four years).

About the New HQ:

To meet the Fire Department’s operational and administrative needs, and to facilitate economic development efforts in the downtown Warehouse district, the CIP funds a replacement for Fire Station 1 and a replacement administrative space for Fire Department management staff. Staff tentatively expects to construct a new station up to 21,000 square feet, an administration space up to 13,000 square feet. The project budget also funds land acquisition and a parking deck. Depending on the site selected for the station, additional land and a parking deck may not be necessary in this case, the project budget will be decreased.

For context and perspective on the fire department’s facility planning, see their 2015-2020 Strategic Plan (PDF).

Other Public Safety:

New police training center, to be built on Battlebridge Road ($22.6M over three years). Pilot program for police to test body cameras ($1.5M). Add twelve positions to Central Communications Center, ten call takers and two supervisors.

See budget docs.

Wake County

Proposed budget presented to the Board of Commissioners on Monday.

Highlights:

• Operating budget increased by 18 percent or $3.3M from last year, for Fire Tax District.
  • Attributed to 1.48 cent tax rate increase.
  • Added funding for implementation of a new cost-sharing funding formula ($1.67M)
  • Funding to improve salaries, based on a labor market study ($856,000).
  • Operating expansions at eight fire departments ($450,000)
  • System-wide expense for employee medical exam reimbursements ($200,000)
  • etc.
• Planning and design costs for Wendell Falls Fire Station ($150,000).
  • Land has been acquired, will make inquiries on location.
  • Scheduled to be complete by 2021.
• Replacement of ten vehicles and apparatus ($1.82M):
  • Bay Leaf Rescue 36 – 1991 E-One Cyclone heavy rescue
  • Durham Highway Pumper 3 – 1997 Pierce Dash, 1500/1000
  • Fairview Engine 8 – 1996 Pierce Dash, 1500/1000
  • Garner Engine 9 – 1994 Pierce Dash, 1000/1500
  • Holly Springs Engine 3 – 2007 Pierce, 1000/1000
  • Fuquay-Varina Tanker 2 – 1995 Freightliner/S&S, 450/1500
  • Morrisville Rescue 2 – 2000 Ford F-550 light rescue
  • Wake Forest Engine 4 [Former] – 1996 E-One, 1500/1000
  • Wake Forest Utility 5
  • Zebulon Car 1
• Replacement of equipment ($3.5M):
  • 800mhz radio upgrade ($1.4M)
  • SCBA ($1.14M)
  • PPE ($675,000)
  • etc.

Some of this information is not contained in the budget, and was obtained from Wake County Fire Commission meeting documents, and as requested from Wake County Fire Services. Apparatus makes/models/years via Google and Legeros records.

See budget doc.

Other Public Safety:

Seven new full-time positions for Wake County EMS, six to expand the Advanced Practice Paramedic (APP) program (four paramedics to staff two 12-hour units and two supervisors to provide 24-hour management), and an Administrative Assistant to support EMS and Fire Services jointly. Funding to convert one ambulance from 24-hour to two 12-hour shifts.