Excerpts from Chicago.cbslocal.com:
A video highlights the ongoing staffing crisis at the federal fire department located at Naval Station Great Lakes and how this shortage is impacting nearby communities.
Last Tuesday, CBS 2’s Tara Molina brought these concerns directly to local officials. She discovered that several members of Congress are also pushing the Navy for answers regarding the shortage and the challenges it's causing. Firefighters claim that both the federal government and the Navy aren’t listening to their concerns or responding to the requests from the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic for a shift schedule change.
The Great Lakes Fire Department is currently short by 12 firefighters, and more are expected to leave soon. Brian Pagliaroni, a firefighter and paramedic at Great Lakes, as well as president of IAFF Local F-37, says that firefighters are often working five consecutive days, sometimes up to 120 hours straight, just to cover the gaps left by those who have already departed or are planning to leave. When they can't meet minimum staffing requirements, the department has had to pull firefighter/paramedics from neighboring areas like North Chicago, Libertyville, and Waukegan.
Most federal fire stations have now implemented an alternative work schedule that gives firefighters more time to rest between shifts. However, the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic — which includes the Great Lakes Fire Department — remains one of the few regions that hasn't adopted such a system.
Twelve members of Congress recently sent a letter to the Navy asking why no action has been taken to resolve the issues at these stations. In the letter addressed to Rear Admiral Charles W. Rock, the lawmakers posed several critical questions, including:
- How many firefighters at non-Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) stations in the Mid-Atlantic region have requested or been transferred to departments using AWS?
- What was the total amount paid in overtime to firefighters stationed at NRMA facilities in 2018?
- Has your department conducted any research on an AWS of 48 hours on, 72 hours off? If so, please provide the findings.
- Has your department studied an AWS of 48 hours on, 49 hours off? If so, please include the results.
- If an AWS has proven effective in another region, has your department evaluated whether it could be applied to the NRMA area?
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Thanks, Max
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