The number of calls to Northampton Fire Rescue has nearly doubled over the last decade, leading the city to expand department staffing in next year’s fiscal budget, which begins July 1.

According to the department, call volumes to both fire and EMS services in the city have surged over the last 10 years, from just over 5,500 calls in 2014 to 9,072 calls in 2024, according to Fire Rescue Chief Andy Pelis, during a June 4 presentation before the City Council to discuss the city’s upcoming budget.

During the meeting, Pelis gave numerous reasons behind the increasing call load, such as an ongoing mental health crisis, growing homeless populations and a shortage of emergency medical service (EMS) workers. Pelis also told the council that there were more than 100 instances last year when the department required assistance from other agencies due to all EMS vehicles already being in service.

“This marks another record year for call volume and it continues to stretch our staffing model to its limits,” Pelis told the council. “This level of demand is taking its toll on our personnel, physically and mentally.”

During an interview with the Gazette, Pelis noted a continued rise in mental health emergencies since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more calls for ambulances.

“Any time someone’s in crisis, we get called and we transport them to the hospital,” Pelis said. “There’s also not as many primary care physicians out there, so it’s rather challenging these days, whereas before it was a lot easier.”

To remedy the situation, the city is looking to add an additional eight firefighters to the Fire Rescue, included within the city’s $145 million budget. The city will look to apply for a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to fund the additional positions for the next three years, but even if the grant should be unsuccessful, the city would factor the eight new positions into the budget. The salary for the positions are budgeted at $40,799.

The firefighters also would be able to provide EMS services, Pelis said, and would be split evenly across four different shifts. According to Pelis, it also would mark the first increase in staff for the department in more than a decade.

“We don’t respond anywhere with one personnel. We need a minimum of two,” Pelis said. “That’s the reasoning for having the two additional per shift, because that makes them available to respond.”

Bryan Davis, president of Northampton Firefighters Local 108 union, agreed that adding eight additional firefighters would provide some much-needed relief to the department, which has struggled to recruit vacant positions due to high call volumes.

“It’s a good start,” Davis said. “We have a good working relationship with the administration, they’ve been upfront with us and we can be upfront with them, and they can meet us in the middle.”

If the additional positions are approved, the hiring would not take place until later in the fall once the status of the federal grant is known. Davis noted however that new hires for fire departments are not as easy to find as they once were.

“We’re not the only department struggling to hire. It’s an across-the-board problem,” Davis said. “But I’m hopeful.”

In her budget message for fiscal year 2026, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra stated that the city also would look to hire an additional dispatcher to handle increased call volumes.

“As call volumes increase, the Public Safety Communications Center (Dispatch) must also keep pace with the demands of its 24/7 operations,” Sciarra wrote. “Their work is already high-pressure and demanding, and it becomes even more challenging when a dispatcher must cover a double shift due to an absence.”

The City Council is expected to vote on approving the city budget during its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, June 18.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.