Colorado Springs firefighters are leaving for other departments at a pace union leaders say they haven't seen before, and now their local is pressing City Council to close a pay gap before lawmakers finalize next year's budget. The Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Association, also known as International Association of Fire Fighters Local 5, addressed retention and compensation concerns directly at a public hearing on the proposed 2027 budget.
As reported by KRDO, Local 5 told council that 26 firefighters have left for other departments since 2024, and that CSFD compensation ranks last among 10 Front Range departments. Jason Wallace, speaking for the union, said Colorado Springs taxpayers bear an added burden when paramedics leave after the city has already funded their education and training.
The departures echo what Local 5 leadership described earlier this year. An account published by the International Association of Fire Fighters said eight Colorado Springs firefighters, including five paramedics, had already quit the department that year, a trend the union said raised concerns about whether CSFD would be able to cover everything. Local 5 President David Knoblitt said at the time that he'd never seen so many members leave for other departments during his career.
Paramedics Remain the Hardest Positions to Fill
Paramedic recruitment has been challenging for the department. A separate report from KKTV found that even an earlier proposed 2% pay raise would still leave CSFD positions the lowest paid among nine cities in the union's comparison network, though it would bring pay within $1,000 to $4,000 of the average salary across Front Range departments.
That same KKTV report found the gap between working in Colorado Springs and working elsewhere in the state could run as much as $10,000 for first firefighter and fire driver engineer roles. Firefighter paramedics were slated for a steeper increase under that earlier plan, aimed at matching an average salary of $79,902, per the report.
Budget Amendments Add a Point to the Raise
City Council has since moved to sweeten the deal. At its Oct. 29 markup session, council advanced amendments adding an additional 1% compensation increase for sworn members of the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Departments beyond what the mayor's office had originally proposed, according to the City of Colorado Springs. Council leadership has folded that extra 1% into the ordinance now before the body, saying the goal is to help public safety departments attract and retain sworn personnel.
CSFD Fire Chief Randy Royal called the additional raise a move in the right direction, per KRDO, but cautioned that catching up with other agencies will take several years. Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez has been working with council and the mayor's office on a related problem, since officer starting pay is often below other Colorado agencies, CSPD has said.
The broader 2027 budget proposal, which topped $1 billion compared with the $914 million budget approved for 2026, already set aside significant new money for compensation before council's amendments. According to The Gazette, the plan would add $20.3 million in staff compensation through eliminating furlough days, raising pay, and adjusting benefits and pensions. Chief Financial Officer Charae McDaniel said the package would be especially helpful in retaining and recruiting sworn officers for both police and fire.
Fire Department Set for Largest General Fund Boost
Of all city departments, CSFD was slated to receive the largest General Fund increase in the proposed budget, an additional $7.2 million, the Gazette's reporting found. That increase follows a rockier budget stretch for the department: a 2025 report said CSFD had canceled its 2026 training academies to help meet a citywide budget shortfall exceeding $30 million, a move expected to save about $1.6 million. The department was budgeted for up to 413 firefighters at the time, with a proposed 2026 General Fund allocation of $78 million, unchanged from 2025, per the same outlet's reporting.
The city later said that cancellation was reversed. A city announcement said the 2026 Fire Training Academy was reinstated after previously being slated for cancellation due to budget reductions. A separate 2025 report had indicated plans to resume the training academy in 2027 after the cancellations, and a city staffing and overtime audit covering 2012 through 2022 found CSFD was generally below its approved budgeted headcount over that period.
Council leadership has said it supports sworn personnel across both the fire and police departments as the budget process moves toward a close. KRDO published a statement from Mayor Yemi Mobolade. City Council is set to hold the first reading and vote on the budget ordinance on Nov. 10, with a final vote on the 2027 budget scheduled for Nov. 24.
