Anchorage fire chief plans two recruit academies in 2027 as retirements loom

Anchorage Fire Chief Doug Schrage told the Assembly Friday he expects to run two recruit academies in 2027 to replace firefighters retiring at the end of April, when people normally retire. About 50 have enough years in the system to retire, he said, a figure officials called a guess.

The department is midway through its second 2026 academy. Schrage said its December graduation will erase practically all vacancies, leaving around a dozen.

Two academies may still fall short. Officials said current training staff and truck seats limit classes to 24 recruits, or about 48 a year.

Schrage said 31 people have left the department this year, not all of them voluntarily. 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 eligible firefighters waited to retire under this year's new labor contract at a higher pay rate, Schrage said, and the department thinks next year is when they will go. In February, the department said about 70 firefighters were retirement-eligible and added an extra academy, according to its recruitment announcement. Alaska News previously covered Alaska State Senate passage of a bill this spring letting public workers choose defined-benefit pensions starting July 2027.

Assembly member Erin Baldwin Day asked about a third academy. Officials said overlapping, staggered classes have been sketched out but not planned. A third would be possible with added resources, they said, costing about $2 million and requiring more trainers or overtime.

"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," Baldwin Day said. She called Anchorage "incredibly lean" compared with similarly sized cities that cover less land.

On a defined-benefit pension, Assembly member Anna Brawley, who chaired the session, said the decision is not reflected in the city budget and belongs in the Assembly's legislative committee.

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