Staffing Changes At St. Paul FD Could Mean Longer Response Times

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The heat usually adds up to more medical calls for first responders.  Some St. Paul firefighters say staffing changes could mean it will take them longer to get there.

When you're in the business of fighting fires, your job is often measured in numbers, minutes, seconds, and Friday in St. Paul, staffing.

The capitol city has three what are known as "super-medic" companies.  A staff of six at three different fire stations -- four that work on an engine and two assigned to an ambulance.

"Today the three super-medic companies are all scheduled with four people," Dennis Hall, a St. Paul firefighter and Local 21 Chair Officer explained to WCCO.

Hall says with two fewer people, there's a potential for problems. A medical run will take at least two first responders and it takes a total of four to run a fire engine. So, the super medic stations would come up short.

Meaning, if a crew from a fire station is out on a medical call and say a church across the street from it started on fire, a fire truck from another station would have to respond.

"They're not going to get the closest fire engine," Hall said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the city of St. Paul and Mayor Chris Coleman says the city is committed to maintaining the public safety people expect.

"The Fire Chief has some discretion in how he deploys staff on any given day.  Some fluctuations day to day are to be expected.  The department is adequately budgeted to ensure daily staffing of 114," read Tonya Tennessen's statement.

But, the union says 108 worked Friday, the same number on the schedule for Saturday.

"They decided not to fill the positions with the overtime like they have in the past," Dennis Hall said.

Which has firefighters like Hall worried about delays in the numbers he believes matter most.

"Every minute counts in a fire," he said.

The St. Paul city spokesperson also said the fire department is running above the daily staffing amount on average since the beginning of the year.  But, the fire union president expects this shift to fewer firefighters at "super-medic" stations to last all summer.