New Fire Academy Brings Department To Full Strength

A new fire academy will bring the Colorado Springs Fire Department to full strength.

The academy will have 24 recruits going through a 16-week training that begins on Monday.

The department is allowed 413 sworn firefighters. The department has been short due to retirements, change in careers, and resignations.

Chief Richard Brown said the empty slots has not affected the department’s ability to run full staff.

“We’ve never not run with our full compliment on apparatus. We’ve always been full strength with overtime. This ( the academy) enables us to have full-time employees,” said Brown.

The money to support the academy comes from the general budget, according to Chief Brown.