‘Asking the city to come to the table’: Portland firefighters ask for more staffing after study

By Drew Marine

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    PORTLAND Oregon (KPTV) — A lengthy study by Portland Fire and Rescue highlighted just how understaffed they are to serve the growing city population.

Study recommendations included such things as add 16 full-time positions, fully staff Engine 23 with two more crew members and add a new fire station in Southeast Portland.

“When we drove around out here, you saw a lot of empty fields, forests and mostly just single-family homes,” said PFFA President Isaac McLennan. “Now you drive around, and you see four or five story buildings where they’re putting in apartments and low-income housing, which is fantastic, that’s how we’re going to solve part of the housing crisis by creating affordable housing, but we forgot to put more fire stations in there.”

McLennan said a majority of firefighters are now working anywhere from 50 to 90-hour weeks because they’re so understaffed. If they don’t agree to overtime, he said they get written up.

He said their crews should be better compensated for their hard work.

“Before they finish their 24-hour shift, from eight in the morning until eight in the morning the next day, when they’re ready to go home, they get a phone call that ‘Hey, you’re to report to station 15 for 24 hours,’” he said. “So, they gotta figure out, ‘I was supposed to go home to take care of my kids.’ The city’s response is ‘Well, I guess we’re going to have to reprimand you because you disobeyed a direct order.’ That to me is not a plan. So, we’re asking the city to come to the table.”

McLennan said an example of how this impacts Portlanders is Engine 23. They only have two people staffed there, so when they went to an apartment fire in July, they had to wait for another, fully-staffed engine with equipment to get there and put the fire out.

Apartment resident Timothy Hemphill said he remembers the crew having to wait for backup that day, even as the fire grew.

“I realized it was spreading really fast and I needed to get out of there,” Hemphill said. “I grabbed by cat, stuffed him in the carrier and ran out.”

He hopes they get more people hired so firefighters don’t feel even more burned out, he said.

“Standing there watching it get worse and worse and worse and worse while he’s running to get to the hydrant, but, like I said, he didn’t even get there until, you know, halfway through it,” Hemphill said. “Once they got going, they were quick and efficient. Once I saw them run up the stairs it was like, ‘Oh they’re here’ and it got dealt with.”

Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s office released this statement about the study:

“I want to acknowledge just how difficult the last few years have been for our Portland Fire Fighters, who have stepped up in every way they have been asked to serve with incredible bravery – whether putting out fires locally, helping combat wildfires statewide, or vaccinating our community during a global pandemic.

“Our Fire Fighters have performed this work despite decades of underinvestment, especially in comparison to other first responders. Since becoming Fire Commissioner, I have consistently worked to improve the wellness and working conditions of our employees, have supported piloting a new schedule, and have successfully prevented budget cuts and station closures. My office worked with Portland Fire & Rescue to conduct the CityGate evaluation and work session so we can make data informed investments that will strengthen and modernize Portland Fire & Rescue. We have the best Fire Fighters in the country, and they need a budget that matches that.

“I hope this evaluation will help us persuade my colleagues and the public that we need to increase funding to Portland Fire & Rescue for the safety of our community and our employees.”

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