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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Mesa City Council Study Session on Fire Department Budget and Operations - April 14, 2026

Council Study Sessions — Tuesday, April 14, 2026

BodyMesa, Arizona

SessionCouncil Study Sessions

DateTuesday, April 14, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:25:54

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:05

Yeah.

0:06

Good morning.

0:06

Welcome to the Mesa City Council study session for April 9th, 2026.

0:11

I'm your host, Vice Mayor Summers.

0:14

Mayor Freeman and Councilmember Adams are participating by Zim.

0:18

All other council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Garetta, who uh we will uh excuse from this meeting.

0:26

Uh Mayor, Councilmember Adams.

0:29

Good sound.

0:31

Good sound.

0:33

Started right at 0730.

0:35

Right on the board.

0:36

I try to be prompt.

0:38

Uh follow the mayor's lead.

0:41

We will likely lose quorum at nine o'clock, so we're gonna endeavor to get through this agenda uh as quickly as possible.

0:48

We have item one A is to hear presentation discussion, provide direction on the Mesa Fire and Medical Department budget.

0:57

And I I have a little showpiece up here to remind everybody of the item.

1:04

Thank you.

1:04

Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council.

1:06

Thank you for having us today.

1:08

Vice Mayor, uh, we did understand that you have a desire for red fire trucks.

1:12

We did provide Vice Mayor with a red fire truck.

1:14

It's in the back.

1:15

But then we wanted his grandkids to see a real fire truck, so we also gave him the white fire truck.

1:25

So hopefully that will help in your desire for red fire trucks.

1:29

There you go.

1:32

I love it.

1:35

Out of order, Mayor.

1:38

Fire L shaper.

1:40

Also, I'd like to um say I think we're making history today because this is the first time in senior staff's history that the fire department has gone before PD in a budget presentation.

1:51

And PD is not here to see this moment, but we want you to know this.

1:56

You did we'll take it.

1:57

We'll take it, but thank you.

1:59

We appreciate that.

2:00

Mr.

2:00

Cost is uh moving back and forth at his chair here.

2:05

He's very uncomfortable.

2:08

Well, we were looking forward to just listening to PD's presentation as they dazzled you, and we'd be all relaxed because we would have been done with ours.

2:14

But the we'll take this, we'll take this.

2:16

But thank you.

2:16

I I want to start by thanking you of council and city management for your ongoing support.

2:22

We could not do what we do without your support.

2:26

So we're very grateful.

2:27

I'd like to start by introducing my staff, my amazing staff.

2:30

We have to my right here is Deputy Director Tara Cunha.

2:33

In the back, we have Chief Brian Darling, Chief Corey Hayes, and to my left, Chief John Lachlan, and Chief Burguette.

2:40

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize Christine Mendoza, who kind of keeps all of us on task, and then our labor team, which is led by um Captain Trevan Crosser and Captain Sierra Ullik.

2:52

They continue to do a lot to print, you know, to help our members in time of need and just whatever they need.

2:57

So I'd like to recognize all of them.

3:00

Before we get started on the presentation, I just want to talk a little bit about our department.

3:05

We currently have 826 members on this department, and all of them, all of them serve to live our mission, and our mission is to serve with care.

3:13

Compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence.

3:16

And when these members come to work every day, they do just that.

3:19

I'd like to just mention each of the services that are out there that sometimes do all the work behind the scenes.

3:26

Management services handle all of our budgets, our grants, planning and research, manage all of our data.

3:31

Our resource management division handles all of our equipment and tools and everything we need to do our job.

3:36

Fleet maintenance keeps our trucks running.

3:38

Our technical services division keeps all of our computers, our GIS, our optic, everything we need to get to the call quickly.

3:45

Everything to do with community outreach, our fire prevention, public education, public information, social services, our volunteers that help in doing all they can to mitigate calls.

3:56

Our EMS training to keep our folks trained in the best practices.

3:59

Our training and special teams division to do the same.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████58%

Budget Equity Analysis█████████11%

Mental Health Awareness███████9%

Procedural█████6%

Technology and Innovation████5%

Public Engagement████5%

Environmental Protection██3%

Engineering And Infrastructure██2%

Public Transportation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Mesa City Council Study Session on Fire Department Budget and Operations - April 14, 2026

The Mesa City Council held a study session on April 14, 2026, focusing on the Mesa Fire and Medical Department (MFMD) budget, operational performance, and strategic initiatives. Vice Mayor Summers presided, with Mayor Freeman and Councilmember Adams participating remotely. The session began at 7:30 AM and concluded around 9:00 AM. Fire department leadership presented on response times, high-utilizer 911 callers, social services interventions, cancer prevention programs, new station construction, equipment grants, and emerging energy challenges. The council unanimously approved appointments to boards and committees and expressed strong support for the department’s budget and initiatives.

Discussion Items

Response Times and Call Volume: Chief Lachlan reported that response times improved since adding stations 21 and 22 (with station 24 under construction) and implementing GPS-based intersection preemption (expected to cut 15–30 seconds per call). Annual call volume has stabilized around 70,000–72,000 since 2021, with medical calls predominating.
High-Utilizer Reduction and Social Services: Chief Burguette presented data showing a 74% average reduction in 911 calls after social services intervention for high-utilizers (≥3 calls in 90 days). A case example (6-year-old female with frequent fall calls) showed a 73% reduction from 11 to 3 calls post-intervention. The department has two social workers and an intern, receiving about 100 referrals monthly. Council questions explored the reactive nature of identification and the need for proactive community risk reduction. Vice Mayor Summers noted the program’s efficiency in freeing up emergency resources.
Budget Overview: Deputy Director Tara Cunha presented the FY26/27 proposed budget of ~$89.3 M (general government funds), reflecting a 1.35 M reduction over three years through position eliminations and reallocations. Key capital costs included $4 M for self-contained breathing apparatus replacement, $1 M for CPAP ventilators, and $1.4 M for dispatch consoles. The public safety sales tax fund budget includes $800 K cut from overtime by moving four positions from the general fund. The ETS (ambulance) fund shows revenues exceeding expenses, with $7 M in bad debt recognized.
Staffing and Overtime: The department maintains a leave pool (rovers) of about 15 extra personnel to cover daily staffing requirements (142 per day). Rover usage at 70% is the breakpoint for cost-effectiveness compared to overtime. Council discussed balancing staffing levels to avoid excessive overtime and fatigue.
Cancer Prevention: Chief Darling presented on MFMD’s cancer prevention program, funded initially with $210 K from public safety sales tax and over $2 M in grants. Screenings (full-body MRIs, blood tests) identified cancers in 13 members, all of whom survived. Equipment includes exhaust removal systems, clean cab concepts, and turnout cleaning. Councilmember Summers and Mayor Freeman emphasized the program’s importance for firefighter health and recruitment.
New Stations and Equipment: Deputy Director Cunha provided updates: Station 224 (80th Street and Elliott) is over 50% complete, opening November 2026; Station 205 (demo/groundwork) opens in about one year. A $725 K AFG grant with a $75 K city match will purchase 35 Lucas CPR devices for all frontline ambulances, enhancing safety and CPR quality.
Firewise Program: Chief Burguette described Firewise as a community risk-reduction program shifting wildfire mitigation from individual to neighborhood strategies. Three Mesa communities are now Firewise (Los Sandes, Madrid, Mountain Bridge). The department uses drones with GIS to assess vegetation risk. Councilmember Goforth praised the program for building neighbor connections and potential insurance benefits.
Energy Challenges and New Hazards: Chief Lachlan explained risks from solar panels, electric vehicles, CNG vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries (e-bikes/scooters). Training videos on CNG fires and battery fires are shared department-wide. The region is awaiting final research on fire blankets for EV fires; MFMD has them ready for deployment.
Ambulance Diversion and Non-Emergency Calls: Councilmember Taylor asked about mitigating non-emergency 911 calls at the dispatch level. Chief Lachlan noted challenges in quickly triaging without delaying emergent calls. City Manager Butler mentioned efforts to implement a 311-style system and AI-assisted triage. A future presentation on public safety communications was promised.

Appointments to Boards and Committees

Motion and Vote: Councilmember Duff moved, Councilmember Goforth seconded. The motion passed unanimously (with Mayor Freeman absent).
Acknowledgment of Receipts: Another motion (Duff/Taylor) passed unanimously to acknowledge receipts of boards and committees.

Key Outcomes

The council unanimously supported the MFMD budget as presented, with appreciation for the department’s efficiency and programs.
Unanimous approval of appointments to various boards and committees.
Direction to provide further data on high-utilizer trends, cost per call, and social services referral categories.
A future presentation on public safety communications (311/911 triage) will be scheduled.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00 AM, with next study session on April 16, 2026.

Note: The meeting date is April 14, 2026, per the prompt instruction, though the transcript references April 9, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Yeah. Good morning. Welcome to the Mesa City Council study session for April 9th, 2026. I'm your host, Vice Mayor Summers. Mayor Freeman and Councilmember Adams are participating by Zim. All other council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Garetta, who uh we will uh excuse from this meeting. Uh Mayor, Councilmember Adams. Good sound. Good sound. Started right at 0730. Right on the board. I try to be prompt. Uh follow the mayor's lead. We will likely lose quorum at nine o'clock, so we're gonna endeavor to get through this agenda uh as quickly as possible. We have item one A is to hear presentation discussion, provide direction on the Mesa Fire and Medical Department budget. And I I have a little showpiece up here to remind everybody of the item. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council. Thank you for having us today. Vice Mayor, uh, we did understand that you have a desire for red fire trucks. We did provide Vice Mayor with a red fire truck. It's in the back. But then we wanted his grandkids to see a real fire truck, so we also gave him the white fire truck. So hopefully that will help in your desire for red fire trucks. There you go. I love it. Out of order, Mayor. Fire L shaper. Also, I'd like to um say I think we're making history today because this is the first time in senior staff's history that the fire department has gone before PD in a budget presentation. And PD is not here to see this moment, but we want you to know this. You did we'll take it. We'll take it, but thank you. We appreciate that. Mr. Cost is uh moving back and forth at his chair here. He's very uncomfortable. Well, we were looking forward to just listening to PD's presentation as they dazzled you, and we'd be all relaxed because we would have been done with ours. But the we'll take this, we'll take this. But thank you. I I want to start by thanking you of council and city management for your ongoing support. We could not do what we do without your support. So we're very grateful. I'd like to start by introducing my staff, my amazing staff. We have to my right here is Deputy Director Tara Cunha. In the back, we have Chief Brian Darling, Chief Corey Hayes, and to my left, Chief John Lachlan, and Chief Burguette. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize Christine Mendoza, who kind of keeps all of us on task, and then our labor team, which is led by um Captain Trevan Crosser and Captain Sierra Ullik. They continue to do a lot to print, you know, to help our members in time of need and just whatever they need. So I'd like to recognize all of them. Before we get started on the presentation, I just want to talk a little bit about our department. We currently have 826 members on this department, and all of them, all of them serve to live our mission, and our mission is to serve with care.

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