Folsom restores fifth fire engine after ambulance staffing change

Ten firefighter positions have now been eliminated in the city of Folsom, but that cost-cutting move is actually allowing the city to put an additional fire engine back on the streets.

The additional engine restores coverage in parts of the city that were left without an engine after budget cuts last year.

"We're really excited that we're able to have that resource back in play," Lawlor said.

In October 2025, the city eliminated one of its five fire engines, as Lawlor said it dealt with budget constraints and a deficit.

For a time, that left the entire part of Folsom south of Highway 50 without any vehicle carrying water to put out a fire.

More recently, the engine at Station 39 was eliminated, which is in the Empire Ranch neighborhood — one of the areas at greatest risk of a wildland fire.

"There was no fire engine in this immediate area to respond to any sort of emergency," Lawlor said.

Now, the department has found a way to restore the engine without adding to the city's costs by changing the type of personnel that operate its three ambulances.

Instead of being staffed by two firefighters trained as paramedics, ambulances will now only have one paramedic and one emergency medical technician, which costs less money.

But EMTs cannot provide advanced life support care to patients, like starting an IV or administering prescription drugs.  

"The impact to the community is going to be very minimal," Lawlor said.

The staffing change allows firefighters who were on ambulances to be placed back on an engine and ultimately saves the city more than $46,000 a year.

"That cost savings is what's a big part of the ability for us to put this fire engine back into service," Lawlor said.

The Folsom City Council unanimously approved the staffing change last month.

"I think this is a great way to bring fiscal responsibility and accountability into staffing our public safety," Vice Mayor Anna Rohrbough said.

The fire department says the new paramedics and EMTs will also be given promotion opportunities to become firefighters in the future as new positions open up.