Packet: Tiffin City Council Work Session (09/01/2026)

City of Tiffin Fire Department | Progress Report | Tom Hartshorn • Response reliability and response times. The intent is not to replace the volunteer/paid-per-call model, but to determine how scheduled staffing can supplement that model as the community and call volume continue to grow. Prior to implementing any staffing model, we need to figure out a path forward for the training division. Training is the backbone of the fire service, and we cannot hire people that we can’t effectively train. Under the current model, we have a volunteer training officer who works a normal M-F job and has the same daily responsibilities of life as the rest of us. It is very clear to me that we don’t have the capacity to effectively on-board and train new members and then continue to maintain a high-quality on-going training program, trained regardless of who is in the training officer position. It is nearly an impossible task. The training requirements to maintain operational readiness are high. My recommendation moving forward is to find a way to hire a part-time training officer, working approximately 15-20hrs per week who could provide consistency and accountability for the department’s training program while reducing the administrative burden currently placed on the Fire Marshal position. This is an area that warrants future discussion as we consider staffing and budgeting. Mutual Aid I have met with our mutual aid partners (Oxford, Coralville, North Liberty, and Iowa City) on multiple occasions. Those discussions have centered around our mutual aid box alarm system, sharing of resources, and how to best work together to provide protection to our communities. These meetings have also led to some changes in our operational response model. One of the biggest changes is that Tiffin FD is joining the rest of the county agencies in the standardized county numbering system. Several years ago, Chief Platz (North Liberty) proposed an idea to move towards a standardized numbering system for all county fire departments and apparatus, that clearly identified each unit by its department, apparatus type, and responding location. The rest of the county agencies (excluding Iowa City) have made the switch. I have determined that it is in the best interest of the department to make this change. Other topics to note are: • Discussing the function of our command car in the larger mutual aid response. • Changes in operational response to I-380 during construction. • A more modern response model for Oxford and Tiffin fire. • Our interactions and relationships with community partners.