The Phoenix Fire Department is reportedly operating under what some are calling "crisis" conditions, with a staffing shortage that has led to increased response times and overburdened firefighters, as detailed in a recent ABC15 report. The same concerns were echoed in a piece by Infoabram, the strain on emergency services in one of the nation's fastest-growing counties.
Bryan Willingham, United Phoenix Firefighters president, sees a stark mismatch between resources and demand, "In the last, close to 12 years, we've added one new fire station, a couple new trucks, and about 2% of an increase in our staffing when we've had a 40% increase in the call volumes," Willingham explained, as ABC15 reported. This situation has reportedly left firefighters dealing with a 28% increase in use of employee assistance program services and, according to Willingham, "more PTSD."
Longer response times do not just reflect an impinged service but a fundamental risk to those in urgent need. Ben Lindquist, Executive Vice President of the United Phoenix Firefighters Union, recollected a personal incident in 2017, telling Infoabram, “Mom said, ‘Hey, the house is on fire,’" a crisis exacerbated by delayed help due to the department's units being tied up with other calls.
Indeed, Station 7's engine, the busiest in the state, makes over 6,000 calls annually while the recommendation for crisis levels sits at half that number. Despite voter approval for new fire stations, the Phoenix Fire Department asserts the need for substantially more resources. “Our city management is doing the best they can, but they're limited with their revenue and the resources that they can provide because of money,” Willingham told ABC15.
While the Phoenix City Council has approved two new fire stations and plans for four more through the General Obligation Bond, the department still faces dire needs. "Our department needs an additional '400 bodies, the apparatus and the stations as well, that costs a lot of money'," Willingham stated, suggesting a potential increase to the sales tax as a solution.
