Stafford County's budget woes are taking a toll on most county agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Department, which is struggling with a personnel shortage and response times.
The department asked for $19,896,841 in 2009. However, the county is proposing a budget of $13,999,924.
The county's proposal includes a 2.5 percent salary increase. But crews likely will work harder for their money, covering the many vacancies that may go unfilled next year.
UNDERSTAFFED
Fire and Rescue employs about 40 firefighters, including both paid and volunteer staff. But it needs about 95 to be fully staffed.
In order to fully meet staffing needs, the county would have to hire 15 new positions each year for the next 14 years, according to Fire and Rescue Chief Rob Brown.
"The need for 95 is today, not in 14 years," Brown told supervisors at a recent budget work session.
The department asked for 56 full-time positions next year, but like most agencies, it is not receiving any new positions in the county's proposed budget.
RESPONSE TIMES
The staffing shortage is affecting response times and some of the under-served parts of the county such as the Garrisonville Road and Griffis-Widewater areas.
The department is striving to respond to emergencies within eight minutes at least 90 percent of the time. Right now, it meets the eight-minute goal 55 percent of the time, up from 41 percent last year.
"We figured we had to crawl before we could walk," Brown said. "We were finding in several areas we're taking 15, 20, 25 minutes to get fire and ambulance to the scene."
Fire and Rescue conducted an analysis that found Stafford would save $56,000 next year if it filled vacancies rather than pay overtime to existing personnel.
"Even though we have a vacancy, that firetruck has to have three people in it," Brown said. "When we have no one to put on that firetruck, we call in someone for overtime. There are times that we call around and just can't find people to work the overtime."
CAUSE AND EFFECT
The personnel shortage has left a ladder truck and an engine truck not fully staffed at the Berea fire and rescue station that opened last year.
The department also is behind on its fire code inspections.
"There is a cause and effect by not having the staff to go out there and visit those growing businesses," Brown said.
SOME CUTS MADE ALREADY
To meet the current year's budget shortfall, Fire and Rescue already has cut costs by 7 percent, reducing overtime and not filling vacancies.
The county also cut $350,000 of the department's budget that was to fund the Length of Service Awards Program.
LOSAP is a financial-incentive program that provides small monthly stipends to volunteers with at least five years of active service.
Residents - Be worried(posted by
SCresident
, Mar. 27, 2008 10:49 pm)
My neighbor works for the fire department. Things he says
about the leaders scare me. They have as many chiefs as
they do employees, constantly treat their workers badly,
and have fired several without reason. I hear they are
running things so poorly, volunteers are leaving! The
volunteers are who keeps your house safe!! The county
only runs three of the 15 or so firetrucks and volunteers are
hardly running on ambulances anymore. The head chief is
risking our lives and property! I call for his firing!
alienate volunteers(posted by
GKevin
, Mar. 27, 2008 8:06 pm)
Did the new fire chief alienate the volunteers? Looks like he did. Appears to be another case of volunteer hate. It happened to Fairfax County in about the early 90's. Thank goodness it didn't happen in Prince William County. Maybe the County Admin. and the riegning Fire Chief should ask for help from Prince William County to deal with the manpower shortage and not alienate the volunteer program, after all, they were doing fine without the "career staff" mentality.
Where did all the volunteers go??(posted by
1thatknows
, Mar. 27, 2008 6:14 pm)
Riddle me this Batman. Why were Stafford County fire and EMS volunteers able to staff 5 to 6 stations every night before the new Chief set up his empire and now the volunteers are very seldon staffed??? Spotsylvania and Prince WIlliam counties have very active volunteer organizations and the demographics of those counties are similar to Satfford.
The Board of Supervisors should make inquiries into what chased away the hundreds of volunteers in Stafford before they spend any more taxes for a career staff.
you have a point Dean....(posted by
hellokitty79
, Mar. 27, 2008 5:37 pm)
However, most of the time you can attend meetings and talk 'til you are blue in the face...county officials still pathetically have their own agenda and ultimately do what THEY want to do. Most of those soccer moms & dads are relatively new to the area and won't be here for the long haul....so that pretty much explains many absences at these hearings you speak of...
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