Concerns raised after staff shortages at Lake County fire stations

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Firefighters in Lake County are raising concerns that a lack of staff is putting the entire community at risk -- but county leaders say that’s not the case.

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“It’s detrimental to the safety of the citizens,” said Local 3990 Firefighter Union President Jason Graham. “We do not have enough ambulance personnel to protect the community that we serve. Lake County is the only fire department remaining in Central Florida, with only two firefighters on an apparatus. Not only is that a violation of the national standard, it jeopardizes the citizens that we serve in jeopardizes the safety of the firefighters that have sworn to protect the community.”

The county claims that won’t happen. A spokesperson sent us a statement, saying, “The public was never at risk of losing public safety services.  This planning occurs continuously to ensure Fire/Rescue Operations are ready to pivot and to provide reliable and consistent emergency services.”

This string of concerns began Friday after a letter was given to staff warning that they would be working with limited paramedic staff for ambulances at Station 78 in Mount Dora and Station 59 in Leesburg.

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As a contingency plan, they filled staffing gaps by asking for volunteers to work up to 60 hours straight, instead of 48 as the cap, to get through the two days.

If staffing gaps still remained, they planned to move one station’s paramedics to riding in ambulances instead of firetrucks. And if in the case, they would possibly call on neighboring fire crews for 12 hours, as part of the county’s mutual aid agreement.

It’s all as a temporary fix that Graham is calling a band-aid on a bullet wound. He anticipates as the holidays near, it’s an issue they will soon face again.

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“This is not a one-day problem,” said Graham. “This is going to be a problem that we’re going to see multiple times in the very near future unless our commissioners and our county manager come up with a plan. We’re just now getting into our busy season, November, December, and January are the busiest times for us in Lake County. And that is also a time where we have you know the most amount of people off. So we’re going to run into this issue.”

Read the county’s full statement sent to Channel 9 in response to the concerns:

“We want our staff and community to feel safe and supported, which is why we take training and planning so seriously. Public safety organizations in the state of Florida and across the nation are facing historic staffing shortages. Lake County is actively recruiting qualified personnel to join our team and ease the burden on our current staff. The public was never at risk of losing public safety services. This planning occurs continuously to ensure Fire/Rescue Operations are ready to pivot and to provide reliable and consistent emergency services.”

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