Parma businesses, health care trainers and property owners could soon pay significantly more for fire department services under a proposed ordinance that would raise some fees by as much as 60 percent. The legislation, introduced this month, targets everything from CPR certification classes to hazardous materials permits, and it comes as the department works to offset rising operating costs under new leadership.
Ordinance 126-26 was introduced August 3 by Council Member D. Lime at the request of the Director of Public Safety, according to the City of Parma. The measure amends Section 185.03, known as Fees of the Fire Chief, within the city’s general fee schedule. As Cleveland.com reports, the ordinance has already received its first reading and was referred to city council’s finance committee, with council and committee meetings scheduled for September 8.
CPR and First-Aid Training Costs Set to Climb
Some of the steepest increases would hit CPR and health care provider training programs. Per Cleveland.com, Heartsaver/AED and CPR/AED/First-Aid classes would see their per-student charge rise from $25 to $40, a 60 percent jump. Heartsaver/AED training for a six-person class would increase from $350 to $540, while CPR/AED/First-Aid training for the same class size would climb from $550 to $790.
Health care provider training would follow a similar pattern. A six-person class would rise from $460 to $700, and the instructor fee for that training would jump from $250 to $400, also a 60 percent increase, the outlet notes. Both CPR/AED/First-Aid training and health care provider training would each rise by $240 overall.
Permit and Inspection Fees Also Rising
Businesses and property owners would absorb many of the proposed permit increases, according to the same report. Many specialized permits, covering categories such as fire-suppression systems, hazardous materials, industrial ovens, private fire hydrants, hot work and larger tents or canopies, would rise from $25 to $35, a 40 percent increase. A hazardous-production-materials facility permit would increase from $50 to $75, and an explosives permit would rise from $75 to $100.
The proposed ordinance would also add a 65-cent charge for each fire-alarm device beyond the first 25 in a system. Separately, license inspection fees for foster care, daycare, and group homes would rise from $25 to $30, while after-hours or weekend inspection service rates would increase from $60 to $75 per hour, according to the City of Parma. Not everything is going up, though: fees involving flammable and combustible liquid tanks would remain unchanged, as would Parma’s separate ambulance and emergency medical service fees. The city would also keep its existing $50 charge for a third or subsequent reinspection.
A New Chief Faces Rising Call Volume
Fire Chief Lewis Davis, who has previously described the proposed increases as ranging from 25 percent to 30 percent per Cleveland.com, assumed command of the department on June 3, becoming its ninth fire chief after more than 30 years of service, according to the City of Parma. Cleveland.com reports the overall range of fee increases actually spans roughly 11 percent to 60 percent depending on the specific charge. The city says the fee increases are needed to cover higher operating costs, though Ordinance 126-26 does not include an estimate of how much additional revenue the new fees would generate.
The department has plenty of activity to fund. Parma logged 14,530 total calls for service in 2025, including 11,857 emergency medical incidents and 2,673 fire-related emergencies, according to the City of Parma. During the first half of 2026 alone, crews responded to 7,282 emergency calls citywide, with Station 2 and Station 1 recording the highest activity at 1,881 and 1,828 calls, respectively, per the Parma Fire Department. The department operates five fire stations and mandates a minimum staffing floor of 25 personnel per shift, with at least five firefighters assigned to each station.
Those operational demands come with a price tag. Parma appropriated $13.03 million for fire department spending in the 2026 general fund, including $12.63 million for personnel costs, according to Cleveland.com. Parma is Ohio’s seventh-most populous city and the second-largest municipality in Cuyahoga County behind Cleveland, with an estimated 2025 population of 78,581, per the U.S. Census Bureau. The city’s median household income sits at $69,295, with a 10.1 percent poverty rate and a 72.4 percent homeownership rate, according to the same source.
What Happens Next
City council has not yet approved the higher fees, and the proposed rates remain pending before council. If approved by two-thirds of council and the mayor, the ordinance would take effect immediately, otherwise, it would take effect at the earliest time allowed by law, per Cleveland.com's reporting.
The fee proposal arrives alongside other public safety changes in Parma. City council in August also reviewed emergency legislation to update Chapter 1302 of the Parma Codified Ordinances to adopt the latest revisions of the Ohio Fire Code, aligning local enforcement with state safety mandates, according to the City of Parma. That follows July’s approval of a collaborative co-responder program with neighboring Parma Heights, placing a mental health clinician alongside police and fire crews on 911 crisis calls, an effort aimed at diverting non-emergency calls away from traditional dispatch.
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