Ohio Firefighters Union Raising Concerns Over Staffing Shortages, Mandatory Overtime, and an Extra Ambulance

In many fire departments across the country, the mantra is simple: more resources = better service. But what happens when adding a resource creates strain instead of relief? That question is playing out in real time in Troy, Ohio, where the Troy Fire Department recently added a new single-role ambulance — only to have the local firefighters’ union call for its de-commissioning this past week.

The department recently placed into service a “sprinter-type” ambulance (designated Medic 15) thanks to a donation from a local healthcare foundation. The vehicle and personnel assigned to it are meant to handle lower-priority EMS calls during busy weekdays from 7 a.m.–5 p.m. The intent is to free up the department’s other ambulances for more serious [a.k.a. high acuity] calls.

On the surface, this sounds like a sound strategy: triage the call volume, differentiate resources, and improve efficiency. But the union representing the Troy firefighters (Local 1638) says the strategy is working in reverse: the new unit is exacerbating existing staffing shortfalls and increasing the number of mandatory overtime shifts required of an already overtaxed workforce.

Meanwhile, city officials look at the program as a success and have no intention of decommissioning the unit. Specifically, city officials point to a group of firefighters that are training to be paramedics as a welcome sign of relief for the organization’s staffing issues.

Here is more on the story from WDTN Dayton.