SALISBURY, N.C. — The fire chief in Salisbury tells Channel 9 that 10 firefighters in rookie school will be joining the department in less than a month, but there’s a renewed push for a plan to keep them on staff after they start.
It’s been a very busy few weeks of calls for the Salisbury Fire Department, and it’s highlighting the need for staff. The Salisbury Professional Firefighters Union is calling for solutions to the staffing shortages and retention.
“I really wish that the city would start investing more into us, because that’s what it boils down to,” Joshua Helms-Shermer, the president of the Salisbury Professional Firefighters Union, told Channel 9’s Hannah Goetz. “You know, people aren’t staying here for $14 an hour starting out.”
Earlier this month, the firefighters union said Ladder 3 was out of service on Easter Sunday. That’s an issue that Channel 9 has reported on in the past. The union says this was due to short staffing, despite five firefighters working overtime.
Right around that same time, a fire at an apartment building on Ridge Avenue left three people hurt and many more without a home. Then there was another fire where two people died, including 3-year-old Jordan Reese.
“We’ve had three major incidents, and you know, I think thank goodness that our department was fully staffed on those days,” Helms-Shermer said.
Helms-Shermer says he wants the city to consider not just hiring, but also retention. He said after a recent meeting with the city manager and assistant city manager, that’s looking more promising.
“It was something that was really good for us, because it’s almost like the first time that we felt like we’ve been heard, and we’re just fighting for, like our guys, we’re fighting for the community,” Helms-Shermer said.
Salisbury Fire Chief Robert Parnell told Goetz that pulling a ladder truck out of service isn’t ideal, but it was necessary.
The city told Channel 9 it remains committed to supporting firefighters and maintaining reliable emergency response times.
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