The Beloit Fire Department has a history of too much overtime and too many unnecessary emergency calls. The Fire Department is projected to spend $320,800 in overtime which is $60,000 more than budgeted but is the approximate total spent each of the last four years, Fire Chief Brad Liggett said. The department spent $320,345 in 2015 overtime and was budgeted $295,000. The Beloit Daily News reported in October of 2014 the department was also expected to exceed its overtime budget of $295,000 to spend $320,000. In 2013, the department spent about $367,300, which exceeded its budget by more than $85,000. While the department is projected to be over budget in employee overtime again this year, Liggett said the department works to decrease spending in other areas and normally falls within the department’s overall budget. But Liggett said there aren’t a lot of places to cut costs because there are numerous items he has to buy such as gas for the trucks and safety equipment. There are currently 61 career firefighters in the department.
Ambulance calls and fire engine calls are projected to be about the same as last year’s numbers. There were 3,969 ambulance calls and 3,249 engine calls in 2015, and there are currently 2,069 ambulance calls and 1,607 engine calls.