Results from Wichita's most recent FIRE study (LEVRUM) show a department understaffed and lacking resources -- it's time to make it public
Dear Mayor Whipple and City Council Members,
As many of you are aware, the city invested approximately one million dollars in an internal staffing and response study (LEVRUM) for the Wichita Fire Department in January of 2021. A study of this nature has not been completed in over 20 years and is sorely needed.
Representatives from the Wichita Fire Department spent months using this data program to learn what a safe fire department should look like, how it should function, and, perhaps most importantly, what resources are needed to keep Wichita safe and adhering to NFPA-recognized safety standards.
The study was originally completed in July 2022. Unfortunately, it has since sat on the desk of the City Manager.
It has not been shared with you or with the citizens who paid for it. The document has been reclassified as a draft and, as a result, we have been unable to KORA the official report and, like you, have been left in the dark.
Administration for the Wichita Fire Department is currently in budget talks and will have a budget prepared for the City Manager in April. The LEVRUM Report has been completed for over seven months and contains crucial information that could, and should, impact the WFD budget.
Delays in this presentation have been, in our opinion, a delay tactic.
We implore each of you, as elected representatives of the citizens of Wichita, to request this report, in its present form, prior to the WFD budget proposal in April.
Ted Bush
President, IAFF Local 135
Wichita Firefighters
You can view President Bush's previous comments on LEVRUM here
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