Ari Davis, Special to the Daily Herald

The highlight of Provo Fire and Rescue Chief Jim Miguel’s budget presentation to the municipal council during Tuesday’s work session was clear to councilmembers and viewers — staffing, particularly at Fire Station 1 and the Provo Municipal Airport.

Unlike the Police Department, Miguel said he does not have a ratio on how many firefighters he needs, according to his presentation.

“There are 16 firefights and one commander on a shift. That’s all the staffing we have and that is not enough,” Miguel said.

He noted that when there is a first alarm fire, all but two of the firefighters are on it. Any second alarm fire requires assistance from neighboring Orem and Springville. Miguel called the inter-city partnerships “mutual and critical.”

He said there is a need for a five-year plan to increase the number of firefighters in the soon-to-be-rebuilt Fire Station 1 to nine.

Evan Cobb, Daily Herald file photo

“We are applying for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grants that pay salaries for three years,” Miguel said. He noted that would give the council time to ease payroll into the budget.

Hiring, like in other parts of the city since the onset of COVID-19, has been difficult for dispatch along with fire and rescue. The Metro Emergency Communications Center, the new name for the combined Provo and Orem dispatch, has seven open positions.

“Being a dispatcher is hard,” Miguel said. He also said it would be valuable to look at incentives for bilingual dispatchers — there are currently two on staff.

Another focus in the budget is Fire Station 4, connected to the Provo Airport. Miguel told the council he didn’t know what kind of budget or personnel to ask for as the airport adapts to increased usage and expected growth.

Typically, the fire department is on site for commercial planes when they take off and land. With the current growth they need a team there 16-20 hours a day, six days a week.

Provo city

“We knew things would get busy,” Miguel said. The need $350,000 for overtime and staffing at the airport is being handled by firefighters working overtime.

They not only need fire personnel at the airport, but fire equipment as well. They are trying to come up with the most cost-effective processes while meeting the needs of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Councilman David Shipley asked if the airport should have its own fire department like other municipalities, Miguel said. For now, Miguel is hoping to get the personnel he needs to protect the city and all of the buildings and people who make up Provo. He said he’ll look into Shipley’s suggestion in the future.