Firefighter's Thoughts on Reduced Staffing

The reduction of minimum staffing from 4 to 3 persons on Truck 403 is against the recommendations of both the fire chief and the City of Fairfax Professional Firefighters and Paramedics.  This is a complex issue that affects the safety of both the citizens, as well as, the firefighters.  I will attempt to explain a few of the problems created by the decision to reduce staffing, as well as, the problem with tieing this staffing with additional funding from George Mason University.

I will begin with soliciting George Mason University for fire department services. There are many problems with reducing the staffing on Truck 403 to three persons pending additional funding by George Mason University.  To understand this you must first understand the mutual-aid agreements with surrounding jurisdictions.  The City of Fairfax's fire services are part of an automatic mutual aid agreement with Fairfax County, as well as, other nearby jurisdictions.  Under this agreement the closest emergency vehicle will be sent to any given emergency.  Each fire truck and ambulance has a GPS vehicle locator.  When you call 911 the closest vehicles available will be sent to the emergency regardless of their affiliation.  As George Mason University is located very close to the City of Fairfax our emergency resources are first to be sent to any emergency on the campus.  We are also closer to certain county locations than the nearest Fairfax County station.  Just as Fairfax County has a fire station closer to some city addresses than the City of Fairfax.  The fire departments and municipalities in the region all offer advanced medical care and share the responsibility of protecting the citizens of the region. This is very important for the citizens of the City of Fairfax because the city’s fire department does not have the resources to handle a house fire on its own.  When you call 911 and say your house is on fire the closest 7 fire trucks, as well as, emergency medical and command vehicles will respond.  Each one of these vehicles has a very specific job to do in order to saves lives and property.  The City of Fairfax staffs 3 fire trucks.  As you can see, without automatic mutual-aid agreements the city would not have the resources needed to safely and efficiently put out your house fire and rescue your family.

Along with the issues during a fire which I described in , another very serious problem with this reduction of staffing arises during medical emergencies. When fire station 3 is closest to a serious medical emergency such as a heart attack the problem begins.  When this occurs Foam Engine 403 and Medic 403 will respond to the call.  Foam Engine 403 has four persons on board, one of which is a paramedic.  This is a standard response to this type of emergency.  This provides 6 highly trained personnel to deliver advanced medical care and carry the patient out of the house and into the ambulance.  Now imagine another serious medical emergency occurs a few minutes later.  This happens on a regular basis.  Now Truck 403 is the closest fire truck and an ambulance must be sent from farther away.  Truck 403 will arrive with only three people to begin emergency treatment.  With having only three persons on board a paramedic may or may not be on the truck.  Regardless of whether the first emergency occurs at George Mason University or your neighbor's house right next door, the problems with reducing staffing levels remain the same.  Staffing levels should not be tied to increased revenue from George Mason University or any other recipient of our existing mutual-aid agreements.

If you have any questions regarding this issue fell free to contact me anytime atcraigevans013@gmail.com or call me at 540-551-2537. The City of Fairfax Professional Firefighters and Paramedics places four person staffing, which directly affects the safety of the citizens and our firefighters as our number one priority above all else.