- Lansing Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant says in 2024, call volumes at the department increased by about 8%
- To address this, Lansing Fire is increasing their recruitment efforts with their incoming recruit class and cadet program
- This is apart of Lansing Fire's 5 year plan that highlights recruitment, community engagement and technology enhancements
- In the attached story, I spoke with Lansing Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant and Mayor Andy Schor about their plans for the department going forward
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
As call volumes for fire and EMS increase in the city of Lansing, Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant told me that staffing at the department is on the rise as well.
I'm your Lansing neighborhood reporter Asya Lawrence here at the Lansing Fire Department with their 5 year plan to achieve recruitment goals.
"The culture, the commodore, the brotherhood, the ability to make a difference," said Adam Perry.
A few months ago, I met Adam Perry as he was going through Lansing Community College's Fire Academy with the goal of joining the Lansing Fire Department.
"We start with fitness in the morning then we go into either classroom instruction or practical days," Perry said.
At that time, staffing and recruitment at Lansing Fire was low similar to emergency service fields across the country.
Today, Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant tells me they're turning the page.
"This week is the first week of our current recruit academy on the heels of the SAFER grant we received. I spoke with the recruits this morning so we have 22 new recruits," Chief Sturdivant said.
Lansing Fire officials told me there isn't a set number of recruits they are looking for but they are actively recruiting.
These new recruits are ready to join a department that has seen a spike in calls.
"We recognized almost a 8% increase in our call volume over the course of 2024," Sturdivant said.
The department's 5 year plan calls for recruitment, community engagement and technology enhancements and Lansing plans on investing even more in the growth of the department.
"We've bought several new ambulances because our ambulances weren't in good shape, we bough the air pack that they have to carry, we bought turn out gear," Mayor Schor said.
All to try to ensure that the number of EMS and Firefighters across the Lansing neighborhood meets the rising demand.
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