Facing tough fiscal constraints, the Jacksonville (FL) Fire and Rescue Department is looking at ways to make its operations more efficient, but the local firefighters union fears changes could impact public safety.
The Florida Times-Union reports (http://bit.ly/WE9r86) that the department is combine some fire suppression and rescue operations in a way that could make rescue more efficient but might slightly slow fire response times.
The department’s new approach would add ambulances to some fire stations that may now only have fire apparatus, with personnel jumping on whichever equipment was needed depending on the type of call. About a third of stations do not have rescue units in them now: When calls come into those stations, engines with life-support equipment respond immediately, with ambulances arriving later.
Such an approach, known as cross-manning, has been done in other cities, said Ken Willette of the National Fire Protection Association, with the decision to do so relying on a department’s decision as to how best meet its service goals
Read more about the situation at http://bit.ly/WE9r86.
For more about the difficulties faced by fire departments facing tight budgets, read “Inside a Budget Fight”. Also, consider Are We Short-Staffed or Just Short-Sighted? and First-In Tactics: Dealing with Limited Staffing.
