Boston Fire Department Faces $40 Million Budget Gap in FY25 Hearing

BOSTON — May 2, 2024 — Boston City Council scrutinizes a $40 million shortfall in the fire department's FY25 budget request. At a May 2 Ways and Means Committee hearing chaired by District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke confirmed his department had requested $346 million from the Office of Budget Management but received only $306 million in Mayor Michelle Wu's proposed budget. Deputy Commissioner of Finance Kevin Coyne said the department can operate within the appropriated amount while continuing to advocate for additional resources. Councilors pressed the department on cancer risks from diesel exhaust — classified by the World Health Organization as a confirmed carcinogen — firefighter recruitment, and the need for new firehouses in Charlestown, Allston-Brighton, and the South Boston waterfront, the last of which has $4 million in the capital plan for architectural planning. Women make up just 1.7 percent of the roughly 1,500-member department, with nine female candidates currently enrolled in the inaugural cadet class.