Baltimore City Fire Union President Says Staff Shortages Causing Longer Response Time, Low Morale

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Union President for Baltimore City Fire said the firefighters and paramedics request assistance and enactment from the administration, and they’re not getting it. Those effects could trickle down to those who request help.

Baltimore City Fire Union President Rich Langford said immoderate of the moving conditions for the men and women of the Baltimore City Fire Department are unacceptable and morale is the worst it has ever been.

READ MORE: Henrietta Lacks' Family To Sue Pharmaceutical Companies Continuing To Use Her 'HeLa' Cells Without Their Permission

The men and women who enactment retired Baltimore fires and respond to your calls for assistance are asking for a small spot themselves.

“The morale successful this section is the lowest I person seen successful my 19 years,” Langford said.

Langford said this past play aggregate units–so engines, ladder trucks, and ambulances–were disconnected the roadworthy due to the fact that of staffing.

“This play we had 7 to 8 units closed,” Langford said. “Some of those were suppression units immoderate EMS units, 1 of the suppression units closed really had a occurrence not excessively acold from their station.”

Langford said that the shortages are causing longer effect times. On Sunday, crews stationed further distant responded to the occurrence connected Hilton Parkway due to the fact that the closest presumption didn’t person the manpower to go.

READ MORE: Bodies Of Dead Children, 5 and 7, Discovered During Essex Traffic Stop, Police Say

“This staffing contented is astir the citizens of Baltimore and their safety,” said Langford. “People shouldn’t person to hold 30-45 minutes for an ambulance to get to get them to the hospital.”

Baltimore City Fire told WJZ that determination is not a important staffing problem.

“That’s an outright lie,” said Langford. “This staffing contented has been going connected for months.”

One illustration helium gave was the committedness of 60 much EMS units by the extremity of May 2021. The metropolis lone hired 11.

Langford said determination is simply a people of 17 recruits graduating successful the coming weeks, but they person 45 unfastened positions to capable conscionable connected the EMS side, and dozens of firefighter positions.

He is hoping the metropolis volition see hosting trainings 2 to 3 times a twelvemonth to beef up the section arsenic they proceed to suffer employees owed to status and injuries.

MORE NEWS: $5M Arch Social Club Renovation First Step To Reviving Baltimore's Penn-North Corridor

Langford said successful the coming weeks determination volition beryllium respective units, including EMS units, that are expected to beryllium closed owed to staffing shortages.

Rachael Cardin