Bettendorf prepares pitch for increased fire staffing amid rapid growth

After the death of a Bettendorf resident from asthma, the community began to question why a local fire station was staffed only by volunteers at night. On the night of the death, no volunteers were at the station. This article examines what it would take to fully staff Surrey Heights as well as looking at Bettendorf's growth as a city.

"The death of 27-year-old Matthew Brown has freshly stoked a debate about firefighter staffing in Bettendorf.

The response to Brown's emergency call was supposed to come from the Surrey Heights fire station, which is staffed only by volunteers. However, during the night of the call, no volunteers were on duty, causing respondents to be sent from the State Street fire station instead.

During last year's budget cycle, it was estimated that it would take about 12 full-time firefighters to fully staff Surrey Heights. But repeated requests by fire department brass to increase staffing levels and rely less on volunteer firefighters has been a hard sell, despite huge increases in city growth and a $2 billion increase in residential assessed value."

For more, visit https://qctimes.com/news/local/who-responds-to-that-emergency-bettendorf-prepares-pitch-for-increased/article_67a7115e-cc84-5976-b958-227c8f56a692.html.