Two leaders of local firefighter organizations used public comment at a Mill Valley City Council meeting to support a council-led self-evaluation of fire services and to press for changes in frontline staffing.

Bob Bridal, president of the Marin Professional Firefighters and a retired Southern Marin battalion chief, told the council that knowing the location and staffing of apparatus across Southern Marin is essential to operations. “It’s very important for the battalion chief to know where those, the availability of those, staffing, or those vehicles,” Bridal said, praising the council’s decision to review its fire service.

Bridal described how engine-company duties have expanded since he began his career: engines that once had two-person crews now also provide paramedic-level care and specialized responses, including hazardous materials, confined-space rescues, cliff rescues and operations in the Marin Headlands. “I appreciate that the city council is taking the opportunity to do a self evaluation of your fire service,” he said.

Zack Fleckner, president of the Mill Valley Professional Firefighters Association, said the organizations back the staffing changes presented to the council, including permanently adding a third firefighter to Engine 7. “We’re in full support of the plan that’s been presented, with adding a third firefighter to Engine 7 permanently,” Fleckner said. He also expressed interest in “the data on changing Medic 6 around as a possible work around, to help the Zone 6 staffing.”

Fleckner framed the request as a modest budgetary change with significant safety benefits for firefighters and the public. “We feel very passionate about a relatively small increase in, in, you know, budgetary cost for a large gain in our personal safety and what we can provide for the community,” he said.

The remarks were made during the meeting’s public-comment period; the transcript does not record any formal motions or votes on staffing changes. The City Council is conducting the self-evaluation that speakers referenced; no timeline or specific budget figures were provided in the comments.