The Celina Fire Department plans to add an additional firefighter to all of its fire engine crews by hiring nine additional firefighters in fiscal year 2026-27, Fire Chief Shawn White told Celina City Council at a June 9 meeting.
Moving from three-person crews to four-person crews will help “save lives and property” by aligning the department with firefighting best practices, White said.
Why it matters
Multiple industry organizations, including the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, recommend staffing fire engines with four-person crews, according to a report by city staff.
Once a fire begins to grow, at least four firefighters must be on scene before any of them can enter the building to fight the fire, according to a Texas law based on national safety standards.
CFD currently meets that requirement by sending an ambulance alongside a three-person fire engine to fight fires, but that model is straining the department’s resources as Celina grows, White said.
“With our current call volume, our ambulances are not always available to respond with our engines,” he said.
With a four-person crew, fire engines will be able to respond to fires while the city’s ambulances handle calls elsewhere.
What else?
CFD also plans to delay the opening of its fourth ambulance, which was originally slated to open alongside Fire Station No. 4 in February 2027, White said.
Fire Station No. 3’s ambulance will relocate to Fire Station No. 4, he said. Fire Station No. 3, which experiences lower call volumes compared to other districts, will respond to calls with just a fire engine.
All of Celina’s firefighters are also trained as paramedics, so the fire engine’s crew will be able to respond to medical emergencies and stabilize patients until an ambulance from another station arrives if transportation to a hospital is necessary, according to the report.
Breaking down the budget
CFD will be able to hire the additional staff within its original budget, White said.
Because Fire Station No. 4 won’t open until next year, CFD was able to delay hiring six firefighters it originally planned to hire in FY 2025-26 until FY 2026-27, he said.
Using the savings from the delay, the department will be able to hire three more firefighters in FY 2026-27 for a total of nine additional firefighters.
According to White, Celina’s sales tax revenue hasn’t kept pace with its growing population, meaning the fire department has to respond to more calls with roughly the same budget.
City officials expect sales tax revenue will eventually catch up to population growth, and the staffing plan will help the department meet demand in the meantime, White said.
“We knew we needed to build a bridge to those higher revenues in future years,” he said.
The four-person staffing model and relocation of the third ambulance are subject to final approval in the city’s FY 2026-27 budget later this year.
