Heath Firefighters IAFF Local 2930

09/04/2026

When Every Firefighter Counts: Twenty-Three Years of Staffing in Heath

In 2002, Heath scheduled six full-time personnel and one part-time supplemental employee on each shift. By 2004, that model had been reduced to five full-time personnel per shift, with no part-time staffing reported.

That reduction occurred even as demand continued to grow. Shift staffing remained at five through 2018, while annual emergency calls increased from 1,903 to 2,857. This was an increase of more than 50 percent. As call volume rose, the department continued handling the growing workload with five scheduled personnel per shift, increasing reliance on overtime and mandatory callbacks to maintain coverage.

Staffing increased to six per shift in 2019 and reached the current maximum of seven per shift in 2023. The increase to seven largely restored the number of personnel once scheduled per shift more than 20 years earlier. It also helped relieve more than 15 years of sustained overtime and mandatory callbacks. Throughout this period, however, the contractual minimum remained unchanged.

The gap between scheduled staffing and actual daily coverage remains significant. In 2025, Heath responded to 3,318 emergency calls and operated at the five-person minimum on 165 days. That means the department frequently handled today’s higher call volume with the same minimum staffing level established after the 2004 reduction.

The consequences extend beyond workload and overtime. Since the reduction, Heath’s fire trucks have continued to share personnel with medic units. When a medic unit responds, the fire truck sharing its crew is placed out of service and cannot respond to another emergency. This means there are times when Heath does not have a dedicated, staffed fire truck ready to respond to calls.

Emergency calls have increased 84 percent since 2002. Today, the contractual minimum remains five. Does this staffing model provide the coverage Heath needs today?

Sources: City of Heath CAFR/ACFR reports and Heath Fire Department staffing and incident records.

09/01/2026

When Every Firefighter Counts: You Have an EMS Call

Five personnel. Two stations. One city.

This is what five-person staffing looks like when EMS calls overlap.

The first call commits two personnel. A second call commits two more. If a third medical emergency is reported, no Heath medic crew remains available. Mutual aid is requested from another community.

Mutual aid is essential, but it does not replace having a local crew available for the next call.

If the third call were yours, what would you expect?

08/30/2026

When Every Firefighter Counts: Is Five Enough?

Heath recorded 3,390 runs in 2025.

Daily staffing ranged from five to seven personnel across both stations. On 165 days, the department operated at the contractual minimum of five.

Those five personnel were responsible for two medic units, fire response, command and coverage for the entire city.

The same personnel staff multiple apparatus, but they can only respond to one assignment at a time.

With more than 3,300 runs a year, is five enough?

08/23/2026

When Every Firefighter Counts: 365 Days of Staffing

In 2025, daily staffing in Heath ranged from five to seven personnel department-wide, covering both stations.

Out of 365 days:

• 5 personnel: 165 days
• 6 personnel: 157 days
• 7 personnel: 43 days

That means Heath operated with only five or six personnel on 322 days, or 88.2% of the year.

Five personnel is the contractual minimum staffing level. As explained in our previous post, the number of personnel on duty directly affects which medic units, fire apparatus, and command resources are available when calls begin to overlap.

These were not isolated staffing shortages. Operating with five or six personnel was the normal staffing condition for most of 2025.

08/19/2026

An important update from the IAFF on the staffing case we shared recently.

The IAFF is now backing the federal lawsuit involving former Local 4238 President Colton Young, who alleges he was terminated after speaking publicly about firefighter staffing concerns.

Staffing conversations may look different from one community to another, but the underlying issue remains the same: when resources are limited, every firefighter matters.

Former Wilson County Fire Fighters Association Local 4238 President Colton Young has filed a federal lawsuit against Wilson County, Tennessee, alleging he was

08/14/2026

When Every Firefighter Counts: What Cross-Staffing Means in Heath

Daily staffing ranges from five to seven personnel department-wide, with a contractual minimum staffing level of five across both stations.

Personnel are initially assigned to the medic units. When a medic is committed to an EMS call, the fire apparatus sharing that crew is placed out of service until personnel become available again.

With five or six personnel on duty, if Medic 51 is already committed, only the Captain remains at Station 51. Battalion 51 remains available for command, but Rescue 51 and Tower 51 cannot respond with only one person.

If a fire call is dispatched while crews are still at the stations, personnel respond together on the appropriate fire apparatus.

Cross-staffing does not create additional personnel or independently staffed units. An apparatus may be physically sitting inside a station while still being unavailable to respond.

08/13/2026

Heath Firefighters IAFF Local 2930 stands in full solidarity with our brothers and sisters of Newark Firefighters IAFF Local 109.

Newark’s minimum daily staffing is being reduced by one firefighter. When every firefighter counts, that reduction is far more than simply having one fewer person on duty.

One fewer firefighter means Engine 5 will be shut down. An entire engine company will be removed from service, and a large portion of Newark will lose its closest engine.

This is what staffing reductions look like in the real world. Fewer firefighters mean fewer companies available, longer response distances, and fewer hands ready when lives are on the line.

At a time when Newark is approaching record call volume, frontline fire and EMS resources should be strengthened, not reduced. The members of Local 109 and the citizens they protect deserve safe staffing and dependable emergency coverage.

Local 109, you are not standing alone.

See below for important information regarding a staffing reduction at the Newark Fire Department.

08/07/2026

This is an interesting article on an issue that fire departments across the country continue to face.

Staffing isn’t just about numbers on a schedule. It affects firefighter safety, response times, and the level of service the public not only receives, but deserves.

Take a few minutes to give it a read.

The lawsuit alleges Wilson County terminated Lt. Colton Young after he publicly raised concerns about two-person engine staffing

04/23/2026

Visitation and Funeral information for Firefighter/Paramedic Aaron Webb

Fire apparatus wanting to participate in lining the interment procession route, contact Fire Chief Jeremy Weekly at:
[email protected]