SALISBURY, N.C. — A Salisbury firefighter said staffing shortages are straining crews and contributing to increased overtime for workers, while city leaders said they take staffing concerns seriously and remain committed to maintaining reliable emergency response for residents.
What You Need To Know
- A North Carolina fire department union is voicing major concerns about staffing
- A worker said crews are facing burnout due to repeated overtime shifts
- The union is asking to meet with city leaders one-on-one to address solutions for the staffing concerns
Ethan Chirico is a Salisbury firefighter and union board member with the Salisbury Professional Fire Fighters Local 2370.
Chirico has been working for the Salisbury Fire Department for eight years, and said staffing has been a growing issue during his time with the department.
He said the city’s growth has increased demand for emergency response, including medical calls and fires, requiring crews to staff stations and be ready to respond around the clock.
“Since COVID, we have been pushing over 6,000 calls. Last year, we ran nearly 10,000,” Chirico said.
“We have to respond to every emergency that comes out, and that’s fire departments everywhere,” Chirico said. “Except, Salisbury is growing rapidly. The number of people, that increases our number of medical calls, increases our numbers for fire.”
He believes challenges worsened as demand for services increased, further stating the environment can make it difficult to retain newer firefighters as call volume and workload continue to rise.
“If you’re starting to feel like this job is dragging on you in the first five years, that’s a major problem,” Chirico said. “People get burned out way sooner than they need to.”
Chirico said the department wrote a letter to city council leaders in 2021, expressing impending staffing challenges.
“We knew the writing was on the wall,” Chirico said.
Chirico’s concerns were amplified on Feb. 13, when he said the department’s Ladder 3 was temporarily taken out of staffing service because of a shortage of firefighters available to safely staff the apparatus.
“It went back in service that evening because someone responded from home,” Chirico said. “That is asking somebody to leave their family on their off day.”
Chirico said there are five stations in the city with seven frontline trucks. He said to safely operate the apparatus, they need 22 firefighters, one being a battalion chief, ready for call response.
When staffing numbers aren’t being met, Chirico said they must go through a process to fill in the gaps.
This includes the battalion chief asking for hirebacks, which is an employee working an additional 24-hour shift voluntarily. One of the last options Chirico said, is requiring mandatory shifts to keep citizens safe.
“The city has to follow through with that support. They’re asking enormous amounts from us,” Chirico said. “Not a single shift right now because of injuries and vacancies can staff a full 22 firefighters.”
In a written statement to Spectrum News 1, City of Salisbury Community Engagement Director Anne Little said temporary removal of an apparatus from service is “a common and necessary practice in fire operations when staffing levels require adjustment,” and said the decision was made to protect firefighter safety and ensure appropriate staffing on active equipment.
Little said personnel were reallocated, mutual aid agreements were in place, and other apparatus remained available for response. Little further stated that operational decisions are made routinely across fire departments nationwide and are part of responsible resource management.
Chirico said when an apparatus is taken out of service routinely in fire departments, it is typically for training, maintenance, or scheduled operational needs, not staffing.
“Unstaffed, there’s no people,” Chirico said.
The city said discussions about staffing and resources should be grounded in complete and accurate information. Their statement further said the narrative being presented does not reflect the full context of the situation and “risks creating unnecessary concern among residents.”
Little said the city remains committed to supporting firefighters, responsibly managing staffing challenges, and maintaining reliable emergency response for residents.
Little also said that at no time was the community left without emergency coverage and that the city remains committed to responsibly managing staffing challenges while maintaining reliable emergency response for residents.
The firefighters’ union said the truck has been unstaffed multiple shifts since December, citing department records.
The union also said mutual aid is meant to supplement, not replace, a fully staffed department.
Chirico said that when an apparatus is out of service, response coverage dependent on mutual aid can delay operations at incidents.
“If one’s out of service, we’re waiting on a response from a mutual aid service,” Chirico said. “That is going to delay the overall safety of the fire ground.”
Concerns about staffing and retention are being raised in other parts of North Carolina, according to statements from municipalities and firefighter organizations.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, a labor union representing professional firefighters and emergency medical and rescue workers across the United States and Canada, has said staffing levels are a key factor in fireground safety and response effectiveness.
The union advocates for standards and policies aimed at improving recruitment and retention.
Scott Mullins, president of the Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics of North Carolina, which is affiliated with the IAFF, said he is concerned about Salisbury’s staffing situation and its impact on recruitment and retention.
“Salisbury has a lot of structure fires,” Mullins said. “Unfortunately, the way they’ve handled staffing, and the firefighters’ pay is a big reason why firefighters are leaving.”
Mullins said staffing levels at fire scenes directly affect emergency operations and outcomes.
“The science continues to share with people what is most important is staffing and how many firefighters are placed on scene to mitigate an incident,” Mullins said. “The National Institute of Standards and Technology says that four-person crews are most effective at mitigating hazardous incidents.”
Chirico said Salisbury currently staffs a minimum of three firefighters per truck and said the department is operating below what he believes is needed to meet growing demands.
“National standard is four firefighters per truck so already we’re behind,” Chirico said. “We are floating between 60 and 70 ready to work firefighters, and we need closer to 90 ready to work firefighters. That would put 28 firefighters on the shift plus a battalion.”
Salisbury Mayor Tamara Sheffield addressed staffing during a recent city council meeting, saying the city takes public safety seriously and has secured a federal SAFER grant to fund the hiring of six firefighters who are currently in rookie school.
“The city takes public safety and fire safety very seriously,” Sheffield said during the meeting. “I support them all and I think my track record proves that this city is an awesome place to serve. Our citizens are awesome.”
Sheffield also said the city remains focused on strengthening staffing levels while continuing to support firefighters and maintain emergency services for residents.
Although the addition of six workers is a step in the right direction, Chirico said the department is still short of staffing levels he believes are needed to support operations.
“We do not keep people long enough to retire them,” Chirico said.
Firefighters said pay plays a significant role in recruitment and retention efforts for stations.
Reports from IAFF state compensation and staffing levels are closely tied to recruitment and retention challenges in departments across the country and have highlighted cases where low wages contributed to vacancies.
Nationally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in May 2024, the median annual wage for firefighters was $59,530.
Chirico said pay levels can affect retention as costs rise and other departments increase compensation.
“For Salisbury, the average firefighter is making low 50s,” Chirico said. “That on its own is not a problem, except that inflation is running away from us and other cities are responding to that [issue].”
The city tells Spectrum News 1 it has started the fiscal year 2027 budget process, during which the city manager reviews compensation for all city employees.
Spectrum News 1 asked the City of Salisbury if an-in person meeting is being scheduled with the Salisbury union to further discuss staffing and operations.
Little said the city manager meets regularly with employees and is encouraging workers to “meet regularly with their supervisors and department directors.”
Chirico said the union is inviting and working to secure a meeting with city leaders, focused on long-term staffing solutions and retention improvements.
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