(Updated 2:55 p.m.) Short staffing reportedly led to a fire engine serving parts of the Rosemont and Carlyle neighborhoods — along with parts of Del Ray and Old Town — due to a staffing shortage.
IAFF Local 2141, which has been battling with the City of Alexandria for months over staffing issues, has repeatedly cited engine shutdowns due to staffing shortages as an example of the impact caused by short staffing.
City officials have previously challenged those claims, saying the departments are well-funded and highlighting closed stations is part of a collective bargaining strategy on the part of the union.
The Fire Department released a statement about Engine 205 being taken offline, saying the closure was only overnight to reallocate staffing and there were no significant incidents impacted by the closure.
According to the Fire Department:
Fire/EMS apparatus regularly go out of service for business matters including community outreach, training, maintenance, and ceremonies such as the Ivy Hill Memorial. Additionally, there are occasions when an injury and/or illness occurs to our first responders which may impact our normal deployment strategy. Around 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, Engine 205 went out of service to reallocate staffing to maintain an EMS Officer on Medic 205 and place a basic life support (BLS) unit in service to provide additional transport resources. Engine 205 returned to service at 7 a.m. Monday, Oct. 17. No significant incidents were impacted by Engine 205 being out of service.
****Public Safety Alert**** Engine 205 which serves the Old Town West, Rosemont, Eisenhower East and Southern Del Ray Neighborhoods is currently closed for the evening due to staffing shortages. Another Emergency Response Reduction due to AFD’s staffing Crisis. pic.twitter.com/9CRIZVQEKa
— IAFF Local 2141 (@IAFFLocal2141) October 16, 2022
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