Staffing and expansion were two issues brought up by residents at the fire department’s citywide discussion Tuesday night.
About three dozen people turned out as the department sought community input on how it should structure its new five-year strategic plan.
Fire Chief Mindy Andrasevits said the fire department held this event to ensure it can address any gaps in service that the community notices.
Andrasevits said the fire department’s largest gap in service is limited staffing.
“We have large amounts of time that no one’s on the schedule,” Andrasevits said. “We can have anywhere from two people to seven people during the day. It just depends.”
The City Commission discussed at Monday night’s meeting whether the city should apply for a grant that would allow the fire department to bring in full-time firefighters.
Commissioners said they are concerned with what would happen once the grant ends and were worried about having to let new hirees go after the three years. Many said a plan needed to be in place and more financials needed to be shared. At the April 8 City Commission meeting, commissioners will hear more about the grant.
The fire department’s staff consists of 35 paid-on-call volunteers. Andrasevits and Assistant Fire Chief Chris Hull are the only full-time employees.
“I don’t think that the average citizen knows that,” she said. “The likelihood that it’s one or two people showing up in an emergency is really high.”
Resident Annie Bryant agrees the fire department needs more staff. However, she said the department does an amazing job with the resources it has.
“I see nothing they do wrong. They’ve been out to our house a couple times. The ambulance has been out there, and they have been exceptional,” Bryant said.
Bryant encourages residents to do what they can to help the fire department increase staffing.
“Go to commission meetings, be informed, vote,” she said. “That’s one of the most important entities in Eudora, and they need our support.”
Andrasevits said it’s important for the fire department to grow as the city increases in population.
“The bigger the town gets, the more demand on services,” Andrasevits said. “We have to stay on top of it. We have to think ahead.”
Resident Carol Wohlford said with the development of Panasonic, it’s important to focus on what needs to expand.
“I think probably the most important department in the city to expand would be the fire department,” Wohlford said.
Residents filled out forms on what the fire department could improve on and visited multiple stations in the room to write down their thoughts on a large sheet of paper. They gave input on how the fire department can improve communication regarding fire safety and how the department can improve engagement with residents.
“We really value the community’s input,” Andrasevits said.
She said the strategic plan will be written in a way that allows for changes and updates within those five years.
“It’s a working document,” Andrasevits said. “It doesn’t mean we start over with a new plan. It means we build on this one and keep building this plan as we go.”
The department aims to have a draft of its plan ready by June.
Reach reporter Ryn Drummond at [email protected].
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