By Leila Merrill
FireRescue1
PHOENIX — The Phoenix city council voted unanimously Wednesday to allocate $7.8 million in annual funding to create 58 new fire department jobs starting in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
According to a news release from the city, some of the new positions will be in the fire department’s aviation and rescue unit. Others will be in station 62, which is in the works.
“The Phoenix Fire Department is very grateful to the city leadership for supporting this critical need,” Phoenix Fire Chief Mike Duran was quoted as saying. “This will place more resources in the system that will improve response times so that we can help our residents as quickly as possible.”
“It is important to hire the staff prior to the completion of Fire Station 62 so that we can hit the ground running,” the chief added. “In the interim, we can benefit from the added personnel.”
