Faced with staff shortages and population growth, the DeKalb City Council will review requests for additional firefighters during upcoming budget meetings.

Michael Thomas, president of DeKalb Firefighters Local 1236, said adding more firefighters to the department’s roster was critical because of an increased number of calls and reliance on other local fire departments.

“We aren’t keeping pace with the community’s growth and their requests for service,” Thomas said.

The fire department currently has three shifts with ready-rosters of 17 firefighters each and would ideally like to add one firefighter to each shift, said Reuben Nelson, DeKalb’s assistant fire chief.

Although the city has received assistance from other fire departments, it is a part of standard procedure.

But DeKalb needs more firefighters, ambulances and engines of its own to respond more quickly and efficiently to emergency situations, Thomas said.

Thomas said one goal was to raise the minimum daily number of firefighters on a shift, which currently sits at 12.

The department also tried changing how stations service the community, Thomas said, citing local Fire Station No. 3, 950 W. Dresser Road, as an example.

“When we receive a call at Station No. 3, we have three personnel,” Thomas said. “All three will respond, whether it’s a fire or medical emergency, and that station sits empty until the firefighters are done with that particular call.”

That station’s district then relies on other stations until firefighters return, Thomas said.

An increasing number of firefighters injured and retired adds to the need to increase the staff, Thomas said.

Federal mandates and requirements, along with an increased awareness of hazardous materials, have also made firefighting a more complicated matter, Thomas said.

“Over the years, our profession has changed,” Thomas said. “It does take more people to do the job today than it did 20 [or] 15 years ago.”

Thomas said he had faith in the city’s willingness to address the issue, but hopes funding plans will not fall to the wayside.

The International Association of Firefighters was also asked to do a study on staffing and response time issues, Thomas said.

In the meantime, city officials will attempt to find ways to meet the department’s requests.

DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki said the fire department’s needs will be taken into consideration during budget talks, along with other city departments.

Each department’s needs would then be evaluated and prioritized before a recommendation is made, Biernacki said.

Capital planning for DeKalb’s budget is scheduled to start sometime this February, Biernacki said