Ahead of the Beecher Fire District’s annual budget review, Fire Chief Joe Falaschetti advised the board that year-to-date call volume is already up 12 percent. So far in 2026, the district has responded to 383 calls for service.
The increase in calls for service, coupled with impending changes at Franciscan Health Dyer that will mean more limited local emergency room availability, means fire district personnel will be unavailable for longer on each run, as they’ll need to transport patients to hospitals farther away.
Franciscan Health Dyer, currently one of the main hospitals Beecher Fire transports patients to, is slated to become a dedicated behavioral health facility at the end of 2027.
“There is no secret; the BFPD is going to face some challenges during the course of the next couple of years due to our regional hospital situation, staffing challenges, and the rapidly rising costs of fire apparatus,” Falaschetti wrote in a memo to the board.
During the annual budget review, District Accountant James Howard explained the district is operating as leanly as possible and trying to do the most with what they have. Howard said they “will keep sharpening the pencil” to make cuts where possible and find additional revenue sources.
Falaschetti commented that the budget is balanced operationally, but they need to look to the future, which also was reflected in Howard’s budget presentation.
“We have to start to be cautious here, back-to-back years of drawing on that surplus is going to bring our fund balance down to about $813,000. We’re always hopeful we’re going to do better than the budget, but in this scenario, we just have to be careful,” Howard said.
Maintenance costs are harder to predict, Howard said, and the district has needed to repair and replace many pieces of equipment and apparatus, as well as perform necessary maintenance on the building.
“I know we talked about some possible additional revenue streams that we’re looking at but, again, when we have capital needs, it becomes very difficult on such a tight budget,” Howard added.
The district is pursuing several grants to help fund apparatus and equipment needs, but also is seeking outside help to identify other funding sources. The board heard a presentation from Jennifer Volk with Discovery Works Collaborative and will hear another presentation from Beyond Your Base.
On May 4, Beecher Fire attended a multi-agency taxing body meeting aimed at increasing communication among the different taxing bodies.
Deputy Chief Mike Heusing’s report provided maintenance updates on all apparatus and equipment. A major need in the upcoming year will be tires for all apparatus. There also were additional maintenance needs for several pieces of equipment and apparatus.
Assistant Chief Tim McGannon reported he is continuing to make follow-up calls with at-risk individuals and those identified as needing further community support. McGannon also designed a leave-behind bag that may be left when he is unable to make contact with an individual after three attempts.
McGannon also has spoken at some small group luncheons to help residents learn about things that may impact them and learn how they can get safety support services, like smoke alarms.
“These programs that you’re doing are really great — the small groups that you’ve done, two of them I’ve been at, people talk about them afterward and tell other people. So, it’s a great way to get the word out there. It makes a big difference,” District President Margie Cook told McGannon.
Cook also commented that McGannon’s efforts accomplish a lot without a major expense to the district.