San Jose

San Jose Firefighters, Paramedics Struggle With Staffing Issues

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San Jose firefighters and paramedics say they’re experiencing exhaustion due to state-wide staffing issues.

Paramedics within the San Jose Fire Department say they are often working straight through, multiple days in a row, because there aren’t enough of them.

Fire Station 26 on Tully Road is considered among the busiest in the nation. But the staffing level isn’t limited to San Jose. Statewide, fire departments are struggling to fill the vacancies.

The website firehouse.com lists the fire engine there as the 15th busiest in the nation. And that’s in a department that says it’s losing ground in its struggle to get fully staffed.

“When you’re working those 48 straight hours, paramedics 96 straight hours, week after week, with little time to sleep, it’s a major concern for their safety and well being,” said Matt Tuttle, of San Jose Firefighters Local 230. 

The San Jose fire union says it’s short about 50 paramedics citywide, with overall firefighter staffing not far behind. The recruitment classes are also getting smaller and smaller.

“We’re short, and it’s a rat race to who can get the paramedics available,” said Tuttle.

It’s a race the Marin County Fire Department says it’s also running.

“All of us in smaller departments are also struggling with recruitment and retention of our paramedics,” said fire chief Jason Weber.

Marin County launched the Fire Foundry, geared at recruiting more women and minorities into the fire service.

“All of the agencies in California, we’re all competing, all pulling from the same candidates, and the candidate pool isn’t; big enough,” said Weber.

The fire departments don’t know if there’s a loss of interest in being a first responder, or some other reason that recruitment and retention are so low. But they say some of those who are still there, are getting burnt out, too many calls for a dwindling force.

San Jose Fire Department Administration declined NBC Bay Area's request for an interview.

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