The Minot City Council on Monday approved going after six new personnel, with the understanding the grant will provide only temporary help toward filling permanent positions.

The council previously voted to hire a grant writer to pursue a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant. The goal of the SAFER grant is to enhance the ability of fire departments to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association.

The proposed new firefighters would enable the department to increase the number of personnel on the ladder trucks at Stations 4 and 5 from three to four per shift. A SAFER grant, if received, would pick up the cost for three years.

The big impact would be the need for additional gear, Fire Chief Kelli Kronschnabel told the council.

“Their gear is very expensive. Their uniforms and medical physicals as well as the EMT (emergency medical technician) training would be about a $100,000 cost,” she said.

The staffing change is part of larger changes proposed for the department. Kronschnabel said city growth and recommendations of a department study were examined in creating a plan for future fire department staffing.

“In 2025, we’ve already put in play we are going to hire a deputy chief position,” she said.

A senior administrative assistant will be retiring in 2025, and the desire is to replace that position with a financial specialist who can assist with procurement and grant analysis, which is the current greatest need, she said.

In 2026, the department is recommending reviving the fire marshal’s position. In 2027, the recommendation is to add field incident technicians to serve as aides to battalion chiefs.

“That was a recommendation that came for succession planning,” said Kronschnabel, citing the expected retirements of some department leaders in the next few years. The field incident technician position would offer opportunities to train captains to move up in the organization.

“That would require us to promote three captains into those positions as well as to hire three firefighters,” Kronschnabel said.

In 2028, the department would hire another three firefighters to bring a fire engine at Station 2 downtown to the national standard for staffing, she said. A small amount of remodeling would be required at Station 1, off 20th Avenue Southwest, for more staffing. More extensive remodeling would occur at Station 3, at the airport, to accommodate three additional firefighters in 2029.

“I know it’s a lot, but it does bring us up to full staffing of 27,” Kronschnabel said.

Based on National Fire Protection Association requirements, a minimum of 27 firefighters are needed for initial response to a structure fire of the scope of a strip shopping center or an apartment in a three story building.

“I would think it’s about $1.5 million for all that staffing,” Kronschnabel added. “It’s a heavy lift to go to 27 per shift from where we’re at today. So, it’s kind of incrementally working toward that. We certainly can write for a SAFER grant every year when they open.”

Council member Mike Blessum noted six firefighters is not even half of the 15 proposed positions over time, but it puts the city on that path.

“That brings a ton of new obligation to our funding. So, we just need to keep that in mind – not necessarily that this isn’t the right priority. That’s not exactly my point. My point is all of those other general fund priorities that we talk about are impacted by this decision. We are obligating ourselves and councils after us.”

Kronschnabel also urged the council to consider procuring land in south Minot, preferably along Broadway, to move the headquarters station someday. The new location will be needed to better service the Minot Country Club area in southeast Minot and the Trinity Hospital area, she said.