City well under national staffing standards; new hires contemplated
Even if the Peachtree City Fire Department hires three additional firefighters this year as planned, the department will still be short of the minimum national staffing standards, the CIty Council was informed last weekend.

Doing so would bring this year’s total of new firefighting positions to six, but that will bring the city to 15 firefighters per shift. Assistant Fire Chief Ed Eiswerth told council the department would like to add another six firefighters in next year’s budget and then for the second time seek a federal grant to bring the department up to the national standard for staffing.

Hiring six more next year would bring the department to 17 firefighters per shift, Eiswerth said. Having 19 firefighters per shift would allow the department to have two personnel on each apparatus, he said.

The fire department uses 24-hour shifts, with firefighters working one day on followed by two days off. The firefighters are all cross-trained with paramedic or emergency medical technician certifications so they can also staff the department’s ambulances.

It costs the city about $214,000 a year to add three new firefighters to the budget including salary, equipment and the like, said City Finance Director Paul Salvatore. Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford noted that the three new positions for this year will come out of the matching funds council had set aside for a failed grant application for additional firefighters. She also noted that those matching funds are programmed into the budget for the next four years.

“We are so far under that national standard,” Rutherford said.

Salvatore cautioned that staff is already projecting a potential millage rate increase of .8 mills for the 2008 city budget. Rutherford replied the city might have to figure out what else it might need to cut from the budget to make room for the additional firefighters.

City Manager Bernie McMullen said the city is hindered by having a smaller fire staff.

“We have a $600,000 vehicle with one person on it,” McMullen said.

The fire department began as an all-volunteer operation many years ago but volunteer recruitment has been tough due to a variety of factors, officials have said. To help increase response of current volunteers, the city has instituted a stipend system that pays them a small amount for each call they respond to above a certain amount.

Though some volunteers initially were offended by this extra pay, it has been generally well-received since the program has been implemented, officials have said.