Salisbury Professional Firefighters Local 2370 says staffing shortage forced truck out of service

SALISBURY, N.C. — Salisbury Professional Firefighters Local 2370 said Friday that a ladder truck went out of service due to low staffing and called on city leaders to address what the group described as a growing public safety risk tied to firefighter injuries and attrition.

In a Feb. 13 news release, Salisbury Professional Firefighters Local 2370 reported that Ladder 3 went out of service at 8 a.m. because the on-duty shift did not meet the minimum staffing level of 22 firefighters. The group said five callback employees responded to fill vacancies, but staffing still fell short.

Local 2370 pointed to multiple on-duty injuries, including injuries from the Laurel Street fire and other emergency incidents, as a key factor in current staffing gaps. The release states that those injuries, along with employee attrition, pushed staffing to a crisis level.

The group said the department’s daily staffing policy directs command and administrative staff to fill apparatus roles or cover battalion positions as a last resort. According to the release, available admin chiefs did not ride apparatus, which led to the unit going out of service.

Union officials said the decision increased risk for both crews and residents and did not follow written staffing policy. The group stated that when other staffing efforts fail, department leaders are expected to ride trucks with line firefighters.

Original Press Release