Title
Fire Department Staffing and Response Times Update
Description
This item updates the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on the Fire Department’s current staffing, hiring, community engagement, service demand, and patient transport activity.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION
Report
This report serves as an update on the Fire Department’s Key Performance Indicators related to:
• Sworn staffing levels
• Recruitment/hiring efforts
• Community engagement
• Emergency response times
• Overall demand for services
• Patient transport activity
Sworn Staffing
The Fire Department’s HR team recruits, tests, and hires new firefighters year-round to sustain staffing levels and minimize vacancies. Given the 14-week fire academy, strategic workforce planning is critical to managing attrition. The department is authorized for 1,870 sworn positions, and with the graduation of 45 probationary firefighters from Recruit Class 24-3 on January 17, current staffing stands at 1,809. However, attrition remains challenging, reinforcing the need for ongoing recruitment and retention efforts. On February 10, Recruit Class 25-1 filled 45 of the 61 vacant positions, further addressing staffing needs.
Recruitment Efforts
The Fire Department actively recruits, hires, and trains new firefighters throughout the year to maintain staffing levels and meet operational needs. The Training Section ensures that each graduating firefighter is fully prepared to serve the Phoenix community. Testing frequency is based on applicant volume and available full-time positions, helping to maintain a strong candidate pool. Of the three recruit classes for the 2024 hiring process, the department trained 154 new recruits. As part of the 2025 hiring process, the department administered the Recruit Entrance Written Exam on January 7, with approximately 765 candidates participating. Of those, 516 applicants passed and will advance to the first round of interviews.
Community Engagement
The Fire Department actively engages with the community through a robust social media presence and participation in public events, ensuring widespread outreach and communication. Over the past six months, social media interactions have been significant, with Instagram reaching 704,000 video views and Facebook and X generating over 200,000 impressions each. In January, the department strengthened its community connections by hosting and participating in key events, including the PFD Experience, an interactive program designed to educate and inspire aspiring firefighters, and career fairs at local community colleges and high schools to encourage interest in fire service careers. Additionally, the department has leveraged billboard campaigns across the valley to promote firefighter recruitment and fire safety initiatives, including smoke alarms, heater safety, and drowning prevention efforts, reinforcing its commitment to public safety and education.
Emergency Response Times
The Fire Department measures emergency response time from dispatch to on-scene arrival, using National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards as a performance benchmark. Based on 90th percentile response times, in January 2025, the first-arriving unit for critical emergency medical services (CEMS) was 7 minutes and 24 seconds, exceeding the NFPA standard of 5 minutes. Ambulance response times for CEMS arrived in 9 minutes and 29 seconds at the 90th percentile, meeting the AZDHS benchmark of 10 minutes. Efforts to enhance response efficiency remain a high priority to align with national standards and optimize emergency services.
Calls for Service
The Fire Department closely monitors emergency response activity levels to assess system performance and identify capacity for additional service delivery. Historical trends show a steady year-over-year increase in call volume, with a 4.5 percent rise from 2023 to 2024. In January 2025, the department responded to 21,178 incidents citywide, reflecting the ongoing demand for emergency services and the need for continued resource optimization to meet growing community needs.
Patient Transport Activity
The Fire Department has provided emergency transportation services for nearly four decades, with demand steadily increasing. A three-year analysis of monthly average activity levels highlights a consistent upward trend. In January 2025, total patient transports reached 8,872, an increase of 483 from January 2024. In only two years, from 2023-2025, January transport volumes have risen by approximately 17 percent, underscoring the growing demand for emergency medical services and the need for continued operational efficiency and resource management.
On March 6, 2024, the City Council adopted Ordinance S-50661, which authorizes the Fire Department to convert ten 12-hour part-time rescues to six full-time ambulances in the system. As of September 30, 2024, two of those units, Rescue (ambulance) 45 and Rescue 49 in Council District 2 were converted into full-time units. The conversion of these two units added 18 hours of coverage into the district. While response times in the immediate first-due areas of Rescue 45 and Rescue 49 have improved, the overall district data reflects a broader scope, which includes areas that may not have seen the same level of improvement. In summary, the conversion of Rescue 45 and Rescue 49 increases resource capacity that results in improved first-due response times with movement in the positive direction for the overall system.
Resource Utilization Analysis
In response to the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee inquiry on disparities in Fire/EMS resource utilization across Council Districts, the Phoenix Fire Department is partnering with the City of Phoenix Office of Public Health, Arizona State University, and other key stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive analysis of EMS call volume and response times. As the Fire Department does not maintain or have access to this level of data, this collaboration will help identify contributing factors, assess the impact on under-resourced communities, and provide data-driven insights.
Information Request
An update to the February 5 Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee regarding ambulance response times in Council District 2 is included in Attachment A.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Fire Department.