Dynamic staffing is a flexible way of managing our staffing by adjusting where and when employees work based on real-time needs. This approach ensures emergency personnel are available while still meeting department service levels with no job cuts.

In emergency services, dynamic staffing helps manage overtime shifts and costs, keeping operations efficient and responsive. It allows us to adapt quickly to changing demands, ensuring both firefighter well-being and financial sustainability while maintaining strong fire response capabilities.

Dynamic staffing addresses two major concerns:

• Financial Sustainability: It ensures that emergency services remain financially viable without cutting essential services.
• Employee Well-being: It reduces excessive overtime, which previously led to fatigue and burnout among our emergency responders.

No. Dynamic staffing does not result in job cuts. All emergency services personnel retain their positions, and the initiative focuses on optimizing shift assignments related to fire response rather than reducing staff numbers.

There are currently 194 firefighter/paramedic positions within The City of Red Deer’s emergency services department. The City’s emergency services team is integrated, meaning they provide fire and medical response.

It may, in some circumstances affect ambulance services though it is highly unusual for ambulances to be affected by staff unavailability. Since 2022, The City is aware of three occurrences where ambulances were unstaffed for a full shift.

Dynamic staffing helps control overtime expenses within the Emergency Services department, which in comparable cities have been a significant financial burden. In 2024, the City of Red Deer (emergency services) had higher overtime costs ($3.2 million) than any other city, per capita, By reducing unnecessary overtime, The City of Red Deer is ensuring the long-term financial health of emergency services and the organization, minimizing growing costs and impacts to taxpayers.

Yes. With the implementation of dynamic staffing, Emergency Services has seen a decrease in the number of staff who are unavailable for their regular shifts, enabling emergency services to operate additional fire trucks/equipment. Prior to this change, this was rarely possible whereas, in January 2025, it occurred 34 times, which means we exceeded our typical staffing level of 31 staff per shift.

Additionally, data from January 2025 shows a significant reduction in overtime shifts:

• Before Dynamic Staffing (Jan 1-5, 2025): 11 overtime shifts
• After Dynamic Staffing (Jan 6-31, 2025): 3 overtime shifts
• Projected without Dynamic Staffing (Jan 6-31, 2025): 10 overtime shifts
• This demonstrates a clear reduction in overtime.