Anchorage fire chief expects two recruit academies in 2027 as about 50 can retire

Anchorage Fire Chief Doug Schrage told the Assembly on Friday he expects to run two recruit academies in 2027, because a large group of firefighters is expected to retire at the end of April, when people normally retire.

About 50 firefighters have enough years in the state retirement system to go, Schrage said, though he stressed that number is "kind of a guess." He said he thinks a large number who were eligible held off until this year's new labor contract took effect so they could retire at a higher pay rate. "We think that this next year is the year."

In February, when it added an extra academy this year, the department put the number of retirement-eligible firefighters at about 70, according to its recruitment announcement. Schrage said 31 people have left the department this year, not all of them voluntarily. About two dozen left voluntarily, most of them to retire, and seven left before reaching retirement age.

"We only have anecdotal data to support the reasoning behind that, whether it was attributable to the lack of a defined benefit, but it is a common thing that we hear from those in our exit interviews," he said. Some have gone to other states that offer pensions, he said. Alaska closed its pension plans to new public employees in 2006. Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill this year that would have restored a pension option, and the Legislature fell seven votes short of overriding him in May, Alaska News reported.

Even two academies might not be enough, officials said, calling that "conceivable and not unrealistic." The department can train only 24 recruits at a time because it lacks the training staff and the seats on fire trucks, Schrage said, which Assembly Member Erin Baldwin Day noted works out to about 48 a year.

Schrage said he thinks a third, overlapping academy is "quite possible," but the department has no specific plan, and it would take more trainers or overtime. An academy costs about $2 million, he said. The department now trains recruits with firefighters and paramedics pulled off the line and backfills their shifts with overtime. The proposed 2027 budget adds one training position, paid for by cutting overtime, as a pilot.

The department, which has 416 positions in the proposed budget, is midway through its second academy of 2026. Its December graduation will fill practically all vacancies, leaving around a dozen, Schrage said.

"We really do have a lot of folks who are set to retire in the coming year, and that is going to create some additional complexities for you all," said Baldwin Day, who represents Midtown. She called Anchorage "incredibly lean" in fire staffing compared with similarly sized cities that cover less land.

Schrage said retirements are fairly predictable now because most firefighters leave at 25 years, but that may change for those hired under the current retirement system. "Do they work 12 years and decide to go do something else?" he said.

Assembly Chair Anna Brawley said any pension decision is not reflected in the city budget and is a conversation for the Assembly's legislative committee.

The Assembly holds a public hearing on the budget Wednesday, Nov. 4, and is scheduled to vote Nov. 17.