- April 22, 2024
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Flagler County Professional Firefighters Association President Stephen Palmer says the last thing a firefighter wants to have to say when facing a mom screaming that her babies are inside a burning building is, ‘Sorry, ma’am, but we have to wait for another truck.’
But Flagler County firefighters might have to do just that, he said, if the county moves forward with a decision to move firefighters from Engine 41 in the Hammock and Engine 16 near Halifax Plantation in order to staff Fire Station 31.
That would leave trucks staffed, at least part of the time, with two firemen instead of the more standard three.
“The most recent study found that a five-person engine crew is 100% effective while fighting a fire,” he told commissioners during a Flagler County Commission Meeting May 19. “A four-person crew is 65% effective, and a three-person crew — our current level of staffing — is only 38% effective. Statistically, we’re already overmatched, and now it’s being suggested that we take on even more with fewer people.”
Palmer said the union supports the new rescue, but “we must not support placing lives at risk and decreasing the level of protection we can safely provide. We cannot support standing in front of a burning home waiting for backup to arrive because we do not have the manpower to present an initial attack.”
County Administrator Craig Coffey said the reason for the change was to increase availability for frequent medical calls, which don’t usually require three-man crews.
“You’ve got to remember that our rescue vehicles respond to about 85% of the calls … we have about 15% of our calls are fire related, accident related,” he said. “So I think the fire leadership has taken prudent steps to make the change and shift the resources where they’re most in demand, and that’s on the rescue side, ambulance side.
As things are, he said, all six rigs are increasingly tied up at one time.
“What used to happen very infrequently has been happening more and more frequently,” he said. “And I’ve been told that it happened for a 12-hour period this weekend, and we had to rely on St. John’s County and we had to rely on Volusia County to come in and backfill us to cover that.”
Coffey said he would “love to have more people,” but that adding firefighters could cost a half million dollars.
“If you’re prepared to raise taxes, I mean we could take it out of reserves, just plan on a tax increase next year, because that’s what you’re talking about,” he said.
Commissioner Frank Meeker said his understanding is that three-person crews are standard for firefighting, and two-man crews are standard for ambulance services.
“It’s been my position for a long time that if we’re going to staff something, it needs to be staffed in a safe manner that’s consistent with normal operations,” he said. “If we’re meeting those kind of minimum standards, I’m good with it. But if I have to expand on cutting back on something else, I’m not comfortable with that.”
Commission Chairman George Hanns said the commission will take a closer look at the proposed changes.
“We will take the steps necessary to bring this up again in a workshop,” he said. “I can assure you that each and every one of us will be talking to staff and getting the intimate details on it. We don’t take it lightly, we appreciate all of what you guys do, and we’ll take it from here.”
