Fire Chief requests additional paid staff
Share
TweetCiting burnout, increased training requirements and more call-outs, Haines Volunteer Fire Department Chief Al Giddings last month told the borough assembly that the current status of the department “in providing comprehensive fire protection, basic and advanced life support, and search and rescue capabilities may not be sustainable” to the degree Haines is accustomed to.
To help solve the problem, Giddings asked the assembly to add a third full-time and part-time summer seasonal position to the department, as well as a monetary incentive bonus for responders.
He wrote that the bulk of their dispatches are served by “the same small group of individuals who consistently respond day or night.”
Call volumes have seen an annual increase of between 7 to 9 percent since 2015, according to Giddings. Volunteers who spoke with the CVN cited Haines’ aging community for the increased calls.
Assembly member and HVFD volunteer Sean Maidy said he supports the chief’s request, given the small number of responders who consistently volunteer. “I think the big thing is people don’t believe that we need more paid staff because we have so many volunteers,” Maidy said. “We have less than 12 consistent volunteers who show up to the trainings and calls.”
A long-time volunteer echoed Maidy’s concern, who said the same people, who tend to be older, are volunteering and that responding to the increased call volume is “starting to get fatiguing.”
Giddings told the CVN this week that it’s understandable that all volunteers are able to respond day and night. “One of the reasons they’re not responding is because their lives are already full to capacity. It’s not a fault on them. They’re not bad volunteers, but their plates are full. The strength of the organization is the volunteers and I recognize that. If you took the volunteers away, there would be no department.”
Former chief Scott Bradford said being a member of HVFD requires a commitment that isn’t always honored by younger generations. He said that for decades there’s always been a core group who’ve responded to fire and EMS calls, but with the increased call volume, some members aren’t filling in as often as they’re needed. “I think traditionally when you’ve joined something, it was a commitment. If there was a call in the middle of dinner, you go,” Bradford said. “If it’s your daughter’s birthday and there’s a call, you go. I think that kind of commitment from people is lacking.”
In his request to the assembly, Giddings suggested paying members a $25 incentive for each call that they respond to.
Bradford said he’d like to promote volunteerism and re-instill the value of commitment in people rather than incentivize response with money. Assembly member Brenda Josephson echoed that sentiment.
Josephson, whose husband Roy is a volunteer, said she’d rather learn why volunteerism is diminishing and correct that problem rather than create new paid positions, especially in light of reduced state funding. “The Haines Volunteer Fire Department has effectively served the community for over 40 years. In the last few years, the roster list has grown larger and larger with individuals that are receiving free training for first aid, CPR, etc. while the response from the individuals has been declining,” Josephson said. “Instead of responding by adding more paid firefighters, we should be investigating the cause of the breakdown in volunteerism and work towards restoring the success of the HVFD under the historical volunteer structure.”
In his letter, Giddings acknowledged budget cuts and diminishing revenue, but said HVFD offers “essential services not only to the borough, but for each visitor, seasonal resident, and every citizen...”
It’s unclear where the assembly will fall on this issue. Half of the group’s seats are up for grabs. Assembly members Tom Morphet and Heather Lende, whose terms are up, aren’t running for reelection; and a third seat is up for appointment. Whoever fills those seats will help determine which direction HVFD will go.
