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Major Amherst fire prompts staffing warning

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has warned that staffing shortages in Amherst, Massachusetts are putting firefighters and residents at risk after a November fire displaced more than 200 people, most of them University of Massachusetts Amherst students.

According to the IAFF, the fire began in a building under construction at 47 Olympia Drive on 7 November before spreading to an off-campus apartment complex.

The organisation said other Amherst Fire Department crews were already handling separate incidents, leaving the crew of Engine 2, staffed with four career firefighters, to take initial command of the fire with limited resources.

The IAFF reported that only nine firefighters were on duty in Amherst at the time of the incident.

Ambulance 1 remained at Baystate Medical Center with a critical patient and three firefighters, while two further firefighters were committed to another call on the south side of the town.

Staffing shortages highlighted by Amherst fire

Local 1764 President Sarah Forsaith said the November fire reflects a broader pattern of low staffing at serious emergencies in the town.

Sarah Forsaith, President of Amherst, MA Local 1764, said: “The department had nine fire fighters on shift that night.

“Ambulance 1 was still at Baystate Medical Center with a critical patient and three fire fighters, and two fire fighters were committed to another call on the south end of town.”

She said Amherst firefighters are frequently dispatched to calls with fewer personnel than they need.

Forsaith said: “There are many times when only one fire fighter responds to a fire call because everyone else is out of town on ambulance transports.

“These incidents are going to continue happening, and relying on mutual aid or outside companies to provide responses to get us resources is just an unsustainable practice.”

The IAFF stated that research links short staffing to faster fire growth, more firefighter injuries at incidents and greater loss of life and property during emergencies.

Forsaith added that the outcome in Amherst could have been very different if residents had not been able to leave quickly on their own.

Sarah Forsaith, President of Amherst, MA Local 1764, said: “The only reason we didn’t see a tragedy is because those residents, mostly able-bodied college students, were able to self-evacuate.”

IAFF push for safer minimum staffing levels

The IAFF said affiliates across North America are reporting similar staffing pressures, making it clear that structured solutions to minimum staffing cannot be delayed.

In response, the organisation is launching a coordinated effort to help local affiliates secure minimum staffing levels that allow firefighters to operate safely and effectively at emergency incidents.

IAFF 3rd District Vice President Jay Colbert said the Amherst case shows the operational limits of sending apparatus with only one firefighter on board.

Jay Colbert, IAFF 3rd District Vice President, said: “When a fire engine or ladder truck shows up on a fire scene with only one fire fighter on it, that is not the fire department coming to the rescue.

“That is one individual driving a piece of apparatus to a scene who, alone, is ill-equipped to safely perform the necessary functions of firefighting –such as simultaneously attacking the seat of the fire with water, conducting search and rescue, and completing ventilation – without endangering the fire fighter and the general public.

“The residents of Amherst and the brave men and women of Local 1764 deserve much better.”

The IAFF noted that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 standard recommends a minimum of four firefighters per apparatus for low-hazard structure fires.

Local 1764 is asking the town to add 18 career firefighters so that Amherst fire crews can meet international staffing standards for incident response.

Forsaith said this request will be taken forward during the next local budget cycle.

Sarah Forsaith, President of Amherst, MA Local 1764, said: “That will be our continued ask going into the next budgetary season.”