Sheridan council studies Fire Rescue long-range master plan emphasizing staffing, training facility and response benchmarks
January 27, 2025 | Sheridan, Sheridan County, Wyoming
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Sheridan City Council members reviewed Resolution 6-25 on Jan. 27, 2025, a proposed five-year Sheridan Fire Rescue Long Range Master Plan that lays out short-, mid- and long-term recommendations on staffing, apparatus replacement, station optimization and construction of a multiuse training facility.
The plan, prepared after a year-long review led by Emergency Services Consulting International, divides actions into short-term (up to six months), mid-term (one to three years) and long-term (three to five years). Fire Chief Gary Harnish told council the long-term goals will require support from the administration and council, and are intended as a guide rather than a binding commitment.
The master plan recommends establishing a long-term staffing strategy to reach a minimum effective response force (ERF) of nine firefighters on duty daily. “We have four on duty today every day,” Chief Harnish said, adding the department currently staffs a minimum of four on-duty personnel and that achieving an ERF of nine likely requires additional stations and personnel. He noted the plan includes short- and mid-term items that generally do not require budgetary support and longer-term items that do.
Council members pressed for details about the ERF recommendation and how it relates to current performance. Councilman Wetzel and others asked why more than doubling the ERF is necessary when the department ranks “in the top 7%” of ISO scores in the state. Harnish replied the department’s ISO score is heavily influenced by personnel; in the last ISO study dispatch scored roughly 71%, the water system 91.6% and the fire department 62%, a score materially affected by staffing levels.
Harnish described operational limits when a single engine crew must handle structure fires and medical calls at once: “Our second engine’s not gonna be there for 20 plus minutes ... that 4 person crew is alone for 20, sometimes 30 minutes,” he said, explaining the risks of entering structures, establishing backup lines and coordinating ventilation without additional personnel.
Council members also focused on workforce succession. City Administrator Stuart McCray reported 8 of 21 department members are currently eligible to retire; by next year 10 of 21 will be eligible. Harnish said the department currently has 15 candidates on an active hiring list and intends to stagger academy placements to replace retirees and move toward the nine-person goal.
The master plan recommends a multiuse training facility that could serve fire, police and county fire districts. Council sought cost estimates; members said they expect a training facility could exceed $1 million but no firm cost was presented. Harnish said some live-fire training is now performed out of town (Cheyenne and Gillette are cited) and having an in-town facility would reduce travel and increase on-duty availability.
Council members asked about grant opportunities. Harnish said the department has applied previously for SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grants and would pursue future SAFER cycles to help hire personnel, noting SAFER can subsidize hires over a multi-year period. McCray and the chief discussed refining dispatch triage and response policies as a near-term way to improve performance without immediate hires or new stations.
No formal vote on Resolution 6-25 occurred at the study session. Several councilors described the master plan as a guideline to inform future budgets and decisions; Mayor and council members indicated further review before adoption would be appropriate. Councilmember Petzik said he intends to propose removing language on “diversity in recruitment” from the document at the formal vote if the council chooses, and Harnish and staff noted hiring must follow Wyoming merit system rules.
Council directed staff to continue outreach, provide cost information for major items such as a training facility, and return with prioritized, budget-ready recommendations during the budget process. The master plan presentation and discussion will return to council for possible action at a later meeting.
Details: the plan was prepared after an RFP and approximately a year of review by Emergency Services Consulting International; it frames short-term (≤6 months), mid-term (1–3 years) and long-term (3–5 years) goals. The document lists station location optimization, apparatus replacement planning, and establishment of funding for a training facility among long-term items.
The plan, prepared after a year-long review led by Emergency Services Consulting International, divides actions into short-term (up to six months), mid-term (one to three years) and long-term (three to five years). Fire Chief Gary Harnish told council the long-term goals will require support from the administration and council, and are intended as a guide rather than a binding commitment.
The master plan recommends establishing a long-term staffing strategy to reach a minimum effective response force (ERF) of nine firefighters on duty daily. “We have four on duty today every day,” Chief Harnish said, adding the department currently staffs a minimum of four on-duty personnel and that achieving an ERF of nine likely requires additional stations and personnel. He noted the plan includes short- and mid-term items that generally do not require budgetary support and longer-term items that do.
Council members pressed for details about the ERF recommendation and how it relates to current performance. Councilman Wetzel and others asked why more than doubling the ERF is necessary when the department ranks “in the top 7%” of ISO scores in the state. Harnish replied the department’s ISO score is heavily influenced by personnel; in the last ISO study dispatch scored roughly 71%, the water system 91.6% and the fire department 62%, a score materially affected by staffing levels.
Harnish described operational limits when a single engine crew must handle structure fires and medical calls at once: “Our second engine’s not gonna be there for 20 plus minutes ... that 4 person crew is alone for 20, sometimes 30 minutes,” he said, explaining the risks of entering structures, establishing backup lines and coordinating ventilation without additional personnel.
Council members also focused on workforce succession. City Administrator Stuart McCray reported 8 of 21 department members are currently eligible to retire; by next year 10 of 21 will be eligible. Harnish said the department currently has 15 candidates on an active hiring list and intends to stagger academy placements to replace retirees and move toward the nine-person goal.
The master plan recommends a multiuse training facility that could serve fire, police and county fire districts. Council sought cost estimates; members said they expect a training facility could exceed $1 million but no firm cost was presented. Harnish said some live-fire training is now performed out of town (Cheyenne and Gillette are cited) and having an in-town facility would reduce travel and increase on-duty availability.
Council members asked about grant opportunities. Harnish said the department has applied previously for SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grants and would pursue future SAFER cycles to help hire personnel, noting SAFER can subsidize hires over a multi-year period. McCray and the chief discussed refining dispatch triage and response policies as a near-term way to improve performance without immediate hires or new stations.
No formal vote on Resolution 6-25 occurred at the study session. Several councilors described the master plan as a guideline to inform future budgets and decisions; Mayor and council members indicated further review before adoption would be appropriate. Councilmember Petzik said he intends to propose removing language on “diversity in recruitment” from the document at the formal vote if the council chooses, and Harnish and staff noted hiring must follow Wyoming merit system rules.
Council directed staff to continue outreach, provide cost information for major items such as a training facility, and return with prioritized, budget-ready recommendations during the budget process. The master plan presentation and discussion will return to council for possible action at a later meeting.
Details: the plan was prepared after an RFP and approximately a year of review by Emergency Services Consulting International; it frames short-term (≤6 months), mid-term (1–3 years) and long-term (3–5 years) goals. The document lists station location optimization, apparatus replacement planning, and establishment of funding for a training facility among long-term items.
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