The additional firefighters will allow for the reduction of hours worked per week by two for firefighters, per their contract, said Chief Tom Lakamp.
Three part-time firefighters each work, on average, one 24-hour shift per week. Once they retire or leave the department, they will not be replaced, Lakamp said.
That’s a significant improvement from 2017 when there were only 26 career staff and 48 part-time firefighters.
The departure of firefighters has dramatically slowed in the last two years during the transition to an all-career department following passage of a levy in 2022 that provided additional dollars for the transition, Lakamp said.
The department is funded by the levy which brings in about $11.3 million annually, grants, American Rescue Plan dollars and about $1.5 million in billing from emergency medical services. (Fairfield only collects from resident’s insurance company and forgives remaining balances. Non-residents are billed the full amount owed.)
Since the levy’s passage, Fairfield has not lost any firefighters seeking work in another – often career – department,” Lakamp said.
“We are much more stable after the levy passage,’’ Lakamp said.
However, the department is young, with one-third having less than five years of experience as a firefighter, said Steven Conn, deputy chief for human resources, training and grants.
“The applicant pool is so young it’s hard to find anyone (with experience) interested in the job or interested in leaving their current department,’’ Lakamp said.
Nevertheless, Fairfield’s fire department is ranked at a level two by the National Fire Protection Association.
“The last time we were evaluated – 2016 – we were barely a two,” Lakamp said. “Our goal is to move up that ranking system so we’re a solid two and hopefully a one.”
Out of the 38,000 fire departments across the country evaluated, only 1,243 were ranked two, said Randy McCreadie, deputy chief in charge of fleet, facilities and community risk reduction.
Lakamp initiated the study a few months after becoming chief in December 2022. Twenty-five retired and current firefighters of all ranks were guided by five facilitators from Fifth/Third Bank.
The result: a 33-page report with goals, objectives, historical data, and other information.
“We have the data; we have the goals and objectives. Now comes the hard part – executing the goals.”
During the last four years the number of calls the department responded to increased by nearly 24 percent – 6,211 in 2020 to 7,688 in 2023. The largest number of calls were for emergency medical services (EMS).
The department is on target to respond to about 8,000 calls this year, a four percent increase over 2023, Lakamp said.
Last year the department responded to 6,386 calls for medical assistance. Each year about 23-26 percent of total calls are for medical service, Lakamp said.
About a fourth of those calls come from the city’s nine care facilities.
“We’re able to meet that demand, but it is a significant portion of the EMS response,” Lakamp said.
He said the city’s medical services was a strength of the department.
“If you’re going to get sick, you ought to get sick in Fairfield,’’ he said.
Many of the goals in the plan are to bring the department in compliance with National Fire Protection Association guidelines.
For example, guidelines are set for the number of personnel responding to a fire – which vary depending on what kind of structure – and the time it takes staff to arrive on scene after the initial call.
Oftentimes, that requires neighboring departments to respond under mutual aid agreements in order to have enough staff at the scene.
“Time is of the essence. It’s a struggle to get up Route 4 in four minutes,’’ said Chad Cooper, deputy chief in charge of fire/EMS operations and communications.
“Our goal is to (deliver) the best, fastest service we can,” Lakamp said.
Making it challenging are the number of dispatch centers for mutual aid: Butler County, Hamilton County and West Chester Township, Lakamp said.
The department will also be studying the location of its three stations: headquarters 375 Nilles Road; Station 32, 6540 Ohio 4; and Station 33, 6118 Winton Road to determine if any changes are needed.
“We want to make sure we’re taking care of these facilities,’’ McCreadie said.
Every August the strategic plan will be evaluated to determine progress made and make any needed modifications.
“We’re hungry for data. Everything we are doing, we are evaluating.”