Fifteen new firefighters reported for their first day of orientation Monday, Aug. 3, at the Roswell-Alpharetta Public Safety Training Center, marking one of the department's largest single recruit classes since it began shifting to a fully full-time workforce four years ago.
Fire Chief Pabel Troche and command staff greeted the new hires in person, the Roswell Fire Department said on X. The department had announced the class three days earlier, on July 31, saying that family in the department is forged over long shifts, shared meals and the calls no one runs alone.
The 15-member class lands in the middle of a five-year phased transition that is converting Roswell Fire from a staffing model built on part-time employees to one staffed entirely by full-time personnel. Before the transition launched in summer 2022, Roswell was the only city of its size and complexity in Georgia relying on a part-time fire workforce, according to the city's full-time staffing model page. Most of those part-time firefighters worked full-time for one of 21 neighboring departments and reported to Roswell after already completing a full shift elsewhere.
A 2022 gap analysis found that for more than 60% of the time in 2021, fire shifts were not staffed at the ideal capacity of 35 personnel. Staffing fell below the minimum operating level of 28 personnel 10% of the time.
The transition's first phase hired 21 full-time fire captains in fall 2022. The department welcomed its first full-time firefighters in January 2024, then swore in 23 new hires and promotions at a City Council meeting in October 2024. As recently as April 2026, two firefighter/paramedics joined the ranks individually.
The Aug. 3 class of 15 represents a return to larger cohort hiring.
By the numbers
Roswell Fire is an ISO Class 2-rated all-hazards department serving nearly 100,000 residents from seven stations. In 2025, crews responded to 9,074 calls for service, including 1,982 fire calls and 7,092 emergency medical calls. The department's 90th-percentile response time was 8 minutes and 40 seconds.
No graduation or swearing-in date for the new class has been announced. Residents with non-emergency questions can reach the department at (770) 641-3730.
