A fire engine in the Ballston area was out of service last night due to understaffing at the Arlington County Fire Department.
Engine 102 was ACFD’s busiest fire engine last year, responding to over 3,400 calls. As the department continues to grapple with high vacancy rates, however, the equipment was temporarily “browned out” — impacting firefighters’ ability to respond to medical calls as well as fires.
“Until recently we were unaware of something similar ever happening in the past 22 plus years current union leadership has been on the job,” said Brian Lynch, president of the Arlington firefighter union IAFF Local 2800. “But recent developments are very concerning because this has happened more than once now.”
The number of vacancies at the fire department has climbed in recent months — from 25 unfilled positions in February to 35 in the latest count, Lynch told ARLnow.
Both the union and ACFD management have been seeking solutions, though pursuing different avenues.
The union has argued that staffing problems are tied to uncompetitive wages. It lobbied for a pay increase earlier this year, noting that ACFD has lower starting salaries than fire departments in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties.
These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, despite the county approving a budget with the first tax increase in five years.
Meanwhile, the fire department earlier this year adopted a new strategic plan centered on themes of recruitment, retention and employee wellbeing. Developed amid several other internal changes in response to concerns about workplace culture, the plan spotlights wellness initiatives, professional development and “barriers to candidates’ success.”
“The strategic plan, which included community input, sets lofty goals of a well paid workforce that can afford to live in Arlington with little to no mandatory overtime,” Lynch said. “That’s a great destination. What we are hoping to do with management is to build a roadmap that will get us there, but getting down that road will take significant investments.”
The Arlington County Fire Department is grappling with a staffing crisis driven by unprecedented vacancies and attrition. Please be aware and stay safe. @TakisKarantonis @ARLnowDOTcom @wusa9 @WTOP @fox5dc @nbcwashington @ArlingtonPatch @7NewsDC @STATter911 @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/WGztY7kYnv
— Arlington Professional Firefighters (@IAFF2800) October 20, 2024
He argued that fixing staffing challenges will require both recruiting new firefighters and retaining current staff.
“We have had great conversations with management about the allocation of more funds to get our firefighters to correct step on the payscale next year and working to make our payscale more competitive, as they see the need as well,” Lynch said. “We differ in that management’s focus seems to be recruitment oriented at the expense of retention.”
When a trained firefighter leaves, he noted, the county loses a six-figure human capital investment.
“Arlington is one of the wealthiest communities in the country,” Lynch said. “There is the financial capacity. It’s a matter of acting on what county residents identified as the top budget priority last year: public safety.”
