Published on March 05, 2026
The proposed FY 2027 budget works to balance the many competing priorities and economic realities facing our community. In effort to balance the budget, the County Manager proposed more than $10 million in service reductions and efficiencies, one of which is the consolidation of two Fire rescue units to a single heavy rescue company. By consolidating the rescue units, the County can reduce the fire department's overall full-time employees by four vacant firefighters with no demotions or layoffs.
If adopted, staffing on the consolidated rescue company would increase from four to six positions per shift, which would make it the highest staffed rescue company in the National Capital Region. The proposal also includes adding a daytime medical transport unit with the other two FTEs from the two consolidated units. This addition will improve travel time during peak hours in the Clarendon corridor, where there is a high demand for medical transport calls. This will Increase EMS system availability for emergency patients and reduce call volume pressure on currently staffed medic units and ambulances.
The proposed single heavy rescue unit’s location, Fire Station 1 on South Glebe Road, will allow faster response to areas with the highest population density and incident volume, including:
It's also important to note that the proposed FY27 Budget includes a $5.3M increase in personnel funding, including implementation of a new wage scale for ACFD's bargaining unit employees, averaging a 10.7% pay increase.
The proposed budget is just that — a proposal. The County Board is in the process of conducting a series of work sessions as part of its review process, and nothing is final. The work session with the Fire Department is set for Thursday, March 19, from 1-5 p.m.