‘A boiling point.’ Wilton’s fire union president appeals for more firefighters during budget process
The Wilton Fire Department currently has three shifts of six firefighters and one shift of seven firefighters. That's only one more than in 1999 despite all the growth in town since then.
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The Wilton fire department needs more staff members, according to firefighter Gary Mandel, president of IAFF Local 2233.
“It’s coming to a boiling point. Fortunately, nothing has happened that's terrible. But, you know, it's really gambling with safety to some extent,” Mandel told News 12 as the town’s budget process for the next fiscal year is underway.
The department takes care of 27 square miles and 19,000 people.
“Our call volume is increasing exponentially. From 25 years ago, it's doubled for sure. But even in the last 5-10 years, it's increasing at an exponential rate,” explained Mandel.
That's no surprise for a town that has seen substantial growth with more on the way.
“We're just hoping to grow with the community,” Mandel stated.
But the department currently has just one more firefighter than it did more than a quarter of a century ago. In 1999, staffing increased to 24 firefighters—six firefighters on each of the four shifts. What worked then isn’t ideal now, according to Mandel.
“The chief, through careful analysis, came up with the fact that we should have eight per shift,” Mandel said.
That proposal was brought to budget discussions last year, but adding eight positions at once adds up financially. Mandel said two new firefighters were included in the last budget, but only one has been hired.
“Today we only have one firefighter that's been added to one shift. What that means is that on Monday, we have some additional staffing, but Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday we're back to where we were 25 years ago,” Mandel explained.
He also said the expectation was that two more firefighters would be included in the next budget to balance each shift at seven firefighters. But budget season has begun and the union is concerned that won’t happen.
“There has been talk about pausing hiring,” Mandel told News 12. “This is a safety issue—a significant safety issue.”
Mandel said he hopes that by speaking publicly, the community will back the staffing effort and make their support known to the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen.
News 12 reached out to First Selectman Toni Boucher for comment but has not heard back yet.
