Belleville Fire and Emergency Services will be expanding sooner than expected.
Belleville City Council has given pre-budget operating approval for the addition of four new captain positions starting January 1, 2025 in the amount of $543,500.
It’s also moving up the hiring of four new firefighters from the end of 2025 to January 1, 2025 at a cost of $370,000.
The additions will be funded through taxation.
The hirings are part of the Fire Master Plan in which council pre-approved the hiring of firefighters spread out over 2023-2025.
A staff report says with call volumes in the urban area increasing annually by approximately 15-20%, there are multiple occurrences where fire personnel are responding to multiple calls at one time.
The hirings will help staff a third fulltime pumper, further expanding the capabilities of the urban complement, reducing call-back overtime and improving response times in both urban and rural Belleville.