Part 10 of a series breaking down the City of Palm Coast’s adopted Fiscal Year 2026 budget
Palm Coast is set to spend $16,002,655 on its Fire Department in Fiscal Year 2026, based on budget materials posted to the city’s website. That’s $1,589,834 more than the $14,412,821 adopted for FY2025. For context, actual spending in FY2024 came in at $13,424,981. The larger budget arrives after the department handled a record volume of calls last year.
The full budget with line-by-line expenditures for each department can be found here.
What the Department Does
Palm Coast runs its Fire Department in-house, unlike law enforcement services, which the city contracts out. The department has delivered fire suppression, prevention, and emergency medical services since 1973, working under what it describes as an all-hazards model. Operations are based out of six fire stations, supported by nine pumpers, two aerial units, two wildland attack trucks, plus other support vehicles. Staffing is continuous, 24/7/365, with career firefighters certified at either Basic or Advanced Life Support levels. Volunteers, including volunteer firefighters, volunteer fire police, and volunteer associates, provide extra support. The city’s ISO fire-protection rating is 2, a national benchmark where a lower number indicates stronger capability.
The Numbers
Funding for the Fire Department comes from the General Fund, the city’s primary account for day-to-day services, and the budget is grouped into four categories.
Personnel Services, which covers pay and benefits for firefighters and other staff, is budgeted at $10,987,118 for FY2026. That’s an increase of $761,597 compared with the $10,225,521 adopted for FY2025. Actual personnel spending in FY2024 was $9,761,604.
Operating Expenditures rise to $4,792,707 for FY2026, up $694,407 from the $4,098,300 adopted for FY2025. In FY2024, operating spending totaled $3,538,553.
Capital Outlay, for equipment and other major purchases, is set at $129,650 in FY2026. That’s $40,650 higher than the $89,000 adopted for FY2025. Actual capital spending in FY2024 was $109,782.
Transfers to Other Funds are budgeted at $93,180 for FY2026. This is $93,180 above the amount budgeted in FY2025, which was zero. Actual transfers in FY2024 were $15,042.
| Actual FY2024 | Adopted FY2025 | Adopted FY2026 | Change FY25–FY26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Services | $9,761,604 | $10,225,521 | $10,987,118 | $761,597 |
| Operating Expenditures | $3,538,553 | $4,098,300 | $4,792,707 | $694,407 |
| Capital Outlay | $109,782 | $89,000 | $129,650 | $40,650 |
| Transfers to Other Funds | $15,042 | — | $93,180 | $93,180 |
| Total | $13,424,981 | $14,412,821 | $16,002,655 | $1,589,834 |
In total, the department spent $13,424,981 in FY2024, had an adopted budget of $14,412,821 in FY2025, and now sits at $16,002,655 for FY2026, a net increase of $1,589,834.
Staffing also edges upward, moving from 75.00 full-time equivalent positions in FY2024 and FY2025 to 76.00 in FY2026, an increase of 1.00.
| Fiscal Year | Full-Time Equivalent Positions |
|---|---|
| FY2024 | 75.00 |
| FY2025 | 75.00 |
| FY2026 | 76.00 |
A Record Year for Calls
During FY2025, the Fire Department responded to 17,815 calls for service. Budget materials describe that figure as an all-time high, both for the fiscal year and the rolling 12-month totals. It also represents a 7 percent jump over FY2024, or 1,116 additional calls. Medical incidents made up the bulk of demand, accounting for 76 percent of all calls.
The city’s budget document also lays out a five-year progression in emergency calls: 12,934 in 2021, 13,292 in 2022, 14,310 in 2023, 16,699 in 2024, and 17,815 in 2025, a consistent year-over-year rise.
| Year | Emergency Calls |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,934 |
| 2022 | 13,292 |
| 2023 | 14,310 |
| 2024 | 16,699 |
| 2025 | 17,815 |
The department says four of its six stations are now handling response volumes similar to what used to be seen mainly at Palm Coast’s historically busiest station. It links the increase to several factors: a larger response footprint, including the 2023 addition of the southern response area, which impacted a full fiscal year for the first time, steady population growth, and demographic shifts, especially a growing older population. Its utilization factor, measured as responses per population, climbed from 11.3 percent in 2019 to 16.1 percent in FY2025.
Performance Measures
Three primary performance indicators are tracked, and the department surpassed its targets on the two measures tied to outcomes.
For containing fires to the room where they begin, the target is 75 percent. The department reported achieving 88 percent. In the fourth quarter of FY2025, it responded to five qualifying structure fires and kept four contained to the room of origin, an 80 percent quarterly result. Across the full year, it responded to sixteen qualifying structure fires and contained fourteen, producing the 88 percent figure, described as the strongest annual outcome since this metric was introduced.
For cardiac arrest response, the goal is return of spontaneous circulation, meaning restarting the heart, in 30 percent of cases. The department reported reaching 36 percent. Crews handled 36 cardiac arrest incidents in the field and restored circulation in 13 of them.
| Performance Indicator | Target | Reported Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fires contained to room of origin | 75 percent | 88 percent |
| Cardiac arrest return of spontaneous circulation | 30 percent | 36 percent |
For succession planning, targets were set for promotions: 3 lieutenants, 6 driver engineers, and 9 firefighters. Actual results were 4 lieutenants, 2 driver engineers, and 0 firefighters. Over the year, the training division supported hiring twelve new career firefighters. Four firefighters were promoted to driver engineer, two more are still serving as ride-up drivers, and five lieutenants were cleared to work as ride-up Battalion Chiefs.
| Succession Planning Promotions | Target | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenants | 3 | 4 |
| Driver Engineers | 6 | 2 |
| Firefighters | 9 | 0 |
Notable Projects
Two efforts were emphasized in the department’s summary.
One is a “value tool” meant to put a dollar figure on the department’s impact. The department states that residents living within five miles of a fire station can access about three times as many potential insurers and receive an average annual insurance discount of more than $1,000. When Fire Station 26, currently under construction, is finished, nearly every Palm Coast household would fall within that five-mile radius. The department estimates that could translate to a community-wide benefit exceeding $43 million per year, which it intends to begin tracking.
The second effort involves a detailed fleet review and a capital replacement plan for fire apparatus. The department points out that Palm Coast sets money aside ahead of time for major apparatus purchases instead of borrowing. In FY2025, it flagged two vehicles for replacement and brought recommendations to the City Council.
Up Next: Public Works
The budget document also begins an overview of the Public Works Department, responsible for maintaining city property and infrastructure, including buildings, streets, bridges, roads, and drainage systems, while also overseeing the contracted garbage collection service. Public Works is organized into divisions such as Streets, Facilities Maintenance, Fleet Management, which operates as an internal service fund, and Collections and Sanitation. One operational data point from the year: the residential collections division served 46,405 accounts and collected 56,106.75 tons of material, including 11,275.74 tons of recycling and yard waste. Fleet auctions brought in $655,923.32. Later installments will take a closer look at those divisions and their individual budgets.
Disclaimer: All information in this article comes from public records, pulled from budget documents published on the City of Palm Coast’s website. More detailed budget information would need to be requested through a FOIA (public records) request.
Another budget series for Palm Coast will be published when the budget hearings have been completed, outlining the budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027.
