Worcester Fire Department leaders presented progress on a multi-year strategic plan that followed a 2021–2024 review by an external consultant. Chief Roach told the Public Safety Committee the department prioritized safety-related deficiencies and implemented changes across leadership, staffing, training, policies and facilities.

Chief Roach said the city reestablished the deputy chief of operations position in March 2022 and reorganized shift command responsibilities. The department adopted a staffing model that aims for four members on every engine, a future goal of four on ladders and seven on the rescue unit, and an eventual shift complement of 100 members. He said authorized staffing now stands at 452 members, compared with a past low of about 362, and that the department has discontinued the practice of "brownouts" that closed trucks at low staffing levels.

The department implemented a single command system based on Blue Card principles to standardize incident command and trained officers department-wide. Chief Roach credited a policy modernization effort that consolidated multiple manuals into a single policy and procedure set using Lexapol software, making materials accessible on handheld devices.

Facility work is underway: the department said it completed HVAC mini-split installations across stations, is repaving three station aprons, replaced a hazardous apparatus floor at Grove Street, and finished design work for a new South Division station with ground-breaking expected in spring. The department reported receiving roughly $300,000 per year in capital funds recently for station and apparatus improvements.

Councilors asked about maintenance and warranty issues on newer apparatus. Department leaders said newer vehicles contain more electronic modules that are failing at higher rates, parts supply is constrained and most trucks carry approximately two-year warranties; they described national-level industry concerns and congressional hearings on manufacturing quality and supply chains.

The committee accepted and filed the strategic plan communication.