The Bellevue Fire Department is inching closer to being comprised exclusively of full-time squad members.
Currently, the department consists of 65 full-time firefighters and approximately 50 part-time members. Over the past two fiscal years, though, Fire Chief Perry Guido said an emphasis has been placed on increasing the number of full-time staffers.
This resulted in 10 new full-time firefighters joining the squad earlier this year. Guido said an additional three are expected to be hired by October — the end of fiscal year 2020 — and six more shortly after. This is being made possible by a portion of the department’s budget being allocated for the expense, as well as through the federal government’s Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response grant.
The fire chief said this inches his department closer to the desired full-time headcount of 82.