Hardee County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 3471

09/04/2026

There's a difference between wanting overtime and needing overtime to survive.

Picking up an extra shift for a vacation? Fine.

Picking up extra shifts because your regular paycheck doesn't cover rent, groceries, insurance, and the basics?

That's not work ethic. That's a compensation problem.

If your crew needs 60+ hours a week just to make ends meet, don't praise them for their “dedication” while ignoring why they can't afford to live on their base pay.

Overtime should be an opportunity to earn more.

It shouldn't be the only reason your people can afford to stay.

You can't build a healthy workforce by requiring people to work themselves into the ground just to pay their bills.

09/03/2026

Last year L2546 made a significant commitment to our peer support program by bringing in multiple trainings and increasing the amount of peer support team members we have. Please reach out to our team if you need. Additionally if interested in helping, call the office and we’ll get you in touch with one of county coordinators to start the process.

09/03/2026

Fire Chief Darian Brown said the department lost eight paramedics and one EMT over the course of the summer. Read more at the link in our comments

09/03/2026

🚨 This is not a hypothetical staffing problem. Other communities are already experiencing the consequences.

Hardee County Fire Rescue is currently down 8 positions. Seven of those are Firefighter/Paramedic positions that we have been unable to consistently fill for roughly two years.

And that number continues to grow.

We currently have additional paramedics preparing to leave—one with a start date elsewhere in October, one on a waiting list, and at least two others who have indicated plans to leave after October.

Today, multiple overtime positions are hired back almost every single shift just to maintain our current 11-person minimum staffing. We haven’t seen our maximum staffing of 13 per shift in years!

If this trend continues, Hardee County could soon face the same difficult situation described in the news story we’re sharing.

At some point, there are only so many ways to cover vacancies. We either continue hiring back and/or mandating multiple firefighters to work overtime every shift, or eventually there simply aren’t enough personnel available to keep every unit staffed and we will be forced to shut down apparatus or entire stations.

And adding positions alone won’t solve that problem.

The County currently plans to add 6 new EMT positions this October. We support those additional positions because they were intended to increase staffing, with the goal of providing five personnel at each of our three stations.

But those six positions were never intended to replace the Firefighter/Paramedic vacancies we already have.

EMTs also cannot replace the Firefighter/Paramedics required to keep ALS apparatus in service.

Adding six EMT positions while continuing to lose paramedics does not address the underlying recruitment and retention problem.

We are already relying on multiple overtime positions every shift just to staff our three stations at the current 11-person minimum.

As additional paramedics leave, that overtime requirement will only increase unless those vacancies can be filled.

So we have to ask:

How much worse does the staffing problem have to become before we address why we cannot recruit and retain enough qualified personnel?

Your firefighters have repeatedly brought concerns about staffing, vacancies, recruitment, retention, overtime and compensation before County leadership.

Studies have been conducted. Surveys have been completed. Money has been wasted. Vacancies have persisted. Employees continue to leave.

Meanwhile, other communities are now facing the consequences of staffing shortages severe enough to affect daily operations.

We should not wait until Hardee County reaches that point.

Adding positions is a positive step.

But adding positions on paper doesn’t put firefighters and paramedics on fire trucks and ambulances.

If we want staffed positions, staffed stations, and ALS units available when our citizens call 911, Hardee County must address the underlying recruitment and retention problem—and competitive pay has to be part of that solution.

The warning signs are already here.

The time to fix a staffing crisis is before there aren’t enough people left to staff the stations.

08/25/2026

𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐖𝐄’𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐎𝐎!

The Haines City Fire Department is now hiring Fire Lieutenants.

Haines City is growing fast, and our department is growing with it. We’re looking for experienced fire service professionals who are ready to step into a leadership role, bring their knowledge and experience to HCFD, and continue building their careers with a department that offers competitive benefits, opportunities for advancement and plenty of room to grow.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐂𝐅𝐃?
• Private pension with a 3.3% multiplier
• Approved 3-week Kelly Day
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Paramedic incentive
• Certificate pay
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid vacation and sick leave

If you’re ready to take the next step in your fire service career and lead alongside a growing team, make your move to Haines City Fire Department.

𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬.

https://hainescityhr.applicantpool.com/jobs/

08/21/2026

Thank you to the Town of Zolfo Springs for their generous donation to Station 2! The firefighters really do appreciate it!

08/20/2026

Congratulations to the Professional Firefighters of Ocala IAFF Local 2135, on reaching a tentative agreement that includes the 24/72 schedule.

Their success continues a significant shift happening across our region. In just the past 12 months, seven fire departments within an hour of Lake County have secured the 24/72 schedule for their firefighters.

The fire service is changing, and departments are responding to the challenges of recruiting and retaining firefighters. Safer staffing models, competitive wages and better work schedules all matter when it comes to building and keeping an experienced workforce. Florida recognized the importance of time away from the job with House Bill 929, establishing the 42-hour workweek as a best practice for Florida firefighters.

Congratulations to our brothers and sisters in Ocala. Progress doesn’t happen by sitting back and waiting. It happens when there is a willingness to recognize what needs to change and do something about it.

08/20/2026

Firefighter gear has alarmingly high levels of a set of so-called "forever chemicals," according to recent studies. Yet many departments are still using this gear https://www.investigatetv.com/2026/08/17/despite-potential-links-cancer-many-firefighters-are-still-wearing-pfas-gear/

08/19/2026

🚒 A Statement on Professional Standards, Staffing & Recruitment

Many in our community have seen the recent reporting concerning allegations involving a Hardee County Fire Rescue paramedic.

The allegations are serious. The matter is currently being investigated by law enforcement, as well as through the County’s administrative process, and those investigations should be allowed to proceed.

We want to be equally clear about something else:

The members of Hardee County Professional Firefighters expect professionalism, accountability, and appropriate patient care from those entrusted to serve our community. We do not condone the mistreatment of any patient.

At the same time, this situation brings renewed attention to a much larger problem we have repeatedly raised with County leadership: Hardee County must be able to recruit and retain qualified firefighters and paramedics while maintaining high standards for the people we place on fire trucks and ambulances.

For approximately two years, our department has struggled with six vacant firefighter/paramedic positions. These positions continue to be vacant and additional turnover continues. Two out of the three recently hired EMTs have already left our department after only a few months. Overtime is routinely needed just to meet our current minimum daily staffing.

Our firefighters have repeatedly brought these concerns before the Board of County Commissioners.

Recruitment cannot simply be about putting “butts in seats.” We shouldn’t be hiring people who are physically or mentally incapable of performing the job. This puts other first responders lives at risk and puts the wellbeing of the citizens of this community at risk.

Recruitment has to be about recruiting and retaining qualified, capable professionals who can meet the physical, mental, ethical, and professional demands of this job. Those that will best serve the citizens of our community.

That requires competitive compensation.

It requires strong hiring standards.

It requires retention of experienced employees.

And it requires County leadership to recognize that the fire service labor market has changed dramatically.

When a department struggles year after year to attract applicants and retain experienced employees, continuing the same approach and expecting different results isn’t a staffing strategy. We continue to hire outside consultant after outside consultant only to be told the same thing.

Our community deserves properly staffed fire rescue services. Our firefighters deserve qualified people working beside them. And every patient deserves competent, professional care when they call 911.

We can accomplish all three—but only if Hardee County makes recruitment, retention, competitive compensation, and high professional standards priorities.

08/11/2026