Falmouth's firefighters are raising a red flag over being tapped to man dispatch duties, citing a lack of necessary training and the potential risk this poses to public safety, according to NBC Boston. The Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts argue that filling in for Falmouth's severely understaffed 911 call center is akin to asking them to perform a job as foreign as teaching an English class, despite their dedication to serving the community.
According to an NBC Boston interview with union president Steven Bush, such makeshift arrangements have already led to delays in emergency response, and dispatching incorrect apparatus, with at least two such instances recorded. The tension has escalated to a legal standoff, with Falmouth Firefighters Local 1397 filing an injunction against the town in an attempt to cease the practice.
In response to the union's concerns, Town Manager Michael Renshaw, in a statement obtained by NBC Boston, affirmed the town's commitment to maintaining public safety, emphasizing that firefighter and police officer response would remain uncompromised. Despite this assurance, reports from MassLive indicate that the town's Communications Center is battling with a staffing level that's barely a third of its authorized strength, exacerbating concerns over the temporary assignment of public safety officers to dispatch duties.
With three full-time dispatchers, one of whom is on medical leave, Renshaw clarified in an email to MassLive that the decision to involve the fire department was enacted to mitigate the dispatcher shortfall. The situation took a turn for the worse when a carbon monoxide scare was allegedly delayed by eight to 10 minutes, due to the inexperience of a firefighter hastily detailed to dispatch duties, as per legal filings.
An upcoming court date on January 16 will see the two sides clash over the controversial measure, which the firefighters believe endangers both them and the citizens they serve. In the meanwhile, the national conversation on dispatcher shortages continues to underline a concerning trend. Burnout, understaffing, and an overall decline in public safety career attractiveness post-George Floyd, who found a staggering 82% of dispatchers surveyed last year pointing to understaffing at their call centers.
