SURPRISE, AZ — As Surprise continues to add thousands of residents, its fire department is preparing for an expansion of its own.
A recent Citygate Associates report estimates Surprise could add as many as 35,000 residents over the next five years and may need three additional fire stations and 74 more fire personnel to keep pace with the city's growth.
The planning comes as Surprise Fire-Medical prepares for a leadership transition. Chief Brenden Espie is retiring after 25 years with the department, four years as the leader, with Kevin Spirlong set to take over as fire chief Friday.
“I think the organization is in a great spot,” Espie said. “I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of all that.”
When Espie began his career with Surprise Fire-Medical, the city had three fire stations. Today, it has nine. The city also did not operate its own ambulance service when he started.
Now, Espie said one of the department's challenges is finding enough firefighters to serve a much larger community.
“Where it would be 600, 700 people, now we’re down to maybe 100, 150,” Espie said of applicant pools. “So, you know, the recruitment is tough.”
That challenge could become increasingly important as the city's population grows.
Incoming Chief Spirlong said meeting that demand will require coordinating the department's expansion with the city's broader growth.
“It really just comes down to thoughtful and proper planning, being a good partner with the city, so that we can add these and expand service delivery in a rapidly expanding city,” Spirlong said.
One expansion is already in the works.
Fire Station 10 is planned near 185th Avenue and Deer Valley Road, an area of northwest Surprise experiencing significant residential development.
“We’re hoping to put a shovel in the ground sometime in spring, and we think that’s about a 15-month build time, so additional services coming probably in about a year and a half,” Spirlong said.
Espie has also worked to prepare for growth beyond the immediate future. He said land has been secured for at least the next eight or nine fire stations, giving future city leaders locations where facilities could eventually be constructed as development pushes farther into Surprise.
But having land available is only part of the equation.
Building fire stations, purchasing equipment and hiring additional firefighters will require additional funding, a challenge Espie said will now fall to the department's next generation of leadership and city officials.
“Now the incoming chiefs and City Hall, the funding piece is what we’ll have to figure out over the coming years,” Espie said.
For Spirlong, the transition comes as Surprise Fire-Medical enters another period of expansion. As thousands more homes and residents arrive, the department will be tasked with making sure fire and emergency medical services grow along with them.
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