Ontario Fire and Rescue faces a critical staffing shortfall, now operating below its minimum staffing levels with only two firefighters on duty at some points, according to a new study. Researchers concluded that is increasing the risk to firefighters and the community during emergencies.
The staffing shortage is among the findings of a $50,000 study by Emergency Services Consulting International, a Virginia consulting firm. The analysis was commissioned by the City of Ontario and the Ontario Rural Fire Protection District.
The report shows the hazards the department faces and provides important recommendations, according to Fire Chief Clint Benson.
Department staffing is at the heart of the study.
Benson said his agency has 10 full-time firefighters. He said nine work 24-hour shifts, and he and one captain handle the department’s daily operations.
In practice, the department has two firefighters per shift 30% of the time, according to the report. The report recommends the department increase that to six over the next five years.
While the department has 20 part-time, on-call firefighters, Benson said the department’s emergency response rate among those on-call crews has dropped. He said those employees have jobs, families and other responsibilities.
“We do not know if we will get ten (or more) part-time firefighters or off-duty career firefighters responding to a fire, or as few as two,” he said. “It all depends on their availability.”
Benson said people see the staff and the fire department’s equipment and think the community has adequate fire protection. What they don’t know, he said, is that the department is at risk with the way that it operates.
“We’ve been lucky many times,” he said.
For instance, he said the department is never guaranteed that other firefighters will respond in an emergency. That means the initial response to an emergency is just two firefighters.
Benson said waiting until more help arrives to begin fighting a fire is “never a good option.” The fire department can get help from area agencies with the mutual aid system through the Snake River Valley Fire Chiefs Association.
Still, he said, the closest department is roughly 20 minutes away from Ontario.
The report also highlights that those neighboring departments depend on volunteer firefighters who may be unavailable during an emergency or are not adequately trained for high-risk incidents.
Benson said the total cost for a full-time firefighter, including protective equipment, is about $120,000 annually. He said the current budget for Ontario Fire and Rescue is $2.5 million.
Under the current conditions, firefighters are left with deciding to run inside a burning building to search for survivors without backup on the scene or respond to car accidents with multiple critical injuries and limited staffing. Both scenarios run counter to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule of “two-in/two-out” rule that requires at least two firefighters enter a burning structure. At the same time, according to the rule, there must be at least two other firefighters outside of the burning building, ready to help.
Benson said the rule protects firefighters. While he cannot speak for other departments, the Ontario Fire Department “will do what is necessary to save lives,” he said.
The report recommends strengthening the mutual aid agreements to ensure that during daytime hours, professional firefighters are on duty in the area to provide a more reliable, prompt response for emergencies.
The report also recommended a joint operating agreement to consolidate resources between the Ontario city department and the Ontario Rural Fire Protection.
One benefit, the report said, would be to reduce the number of vehicles. The report noted that similar vehicles are used separately by the department and city.
According to the report, the city and the district could pool resources, cut costs, and provide “greater efficiency for the citizens.”
Benson said he agrees with a joint governing plan and that the department could consolidate resources with the rural district. He said he did not know what it would take to arrange such an agreement.
Benson said the next step is to discuss the study findings with the community to get feedback.
Benson said the study has been distributed to Ontario city councilors and Ontario Rural Fire Protection Board members.
He said there are no plans to raise property taxes to enhance fire protection. People do not want to pay more taxes, he said.
Benson said the department could look at other funding sources if the community is concerned about the study’s findings.
The chief said the study underscores a problem facing many Oregon communities – property tax rates are the same while government costs continue to increase.
“It is up to the community to decide what level of fire protection they want,” he said.
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