Firefighters call for more trainees to address safety and mental health needs

The Austin Firefighters Association is calling for more attention to safety issues facing its members, which were discussed in part during the City Council’s budget meeting last week.

The AFA was scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday to publicize issues including rising injury rates and mental health concerns recently highlighted by the suicide of a member, the AFA’s fourth suicide since 2017.

The press conference was postponed due to President Joe Biden’s visit to the LBJ Presidential Library on Monday. Austin Monitor He and other advocates for Austin firefighters are lobbying the city to add another annual trainee class to accommodate the 25 new positions needed to accommodate a plan to cut a firefighter’s normal work week by an hour.

Nix said reducing the work week to 52 hours would alleviate some of the mental strain and psychological effects of demanding and dangerous work.

“The issue of firefighters suffering from post-incident stress is widespread across the country, but it seems to be especially prevalent in Austin, with more people seeking treatment through traditional and non-traditional methods,” Nix said. “The reason we’re trying to shorten the workweek is to allow more time between shifts so firefighters can rest, reset and be rested and ready when they return to work, and the current schedule doesn’t seem to allow for that.”

During last week’s budget meeting, council members discussed with finance and fire officials how to pay for the $1.7 million cost of adding a third trainee class in the next budget year. One concern was how to account for the department’s rising workers’ compensation costs due to unusually high absenteeism rates and overtime costs due to injuries.

“I think it would be more cost-effective and better for the mental health and wellbeing of our firefighters to have more (full-time staffing),” said City Councilwoman Allison Alter. “In terms of future budgeting, I thought if we did the math to see if adding, say, 10, 15 or 20 more firefighters would be better than paying an extra $4 million in overtime, and it would also reduce the workload on our firefighters.”

Nix said rising overtime costs can be attributed in part to firefighters acknowledging mental health issues and physical ailments that require rest and medical intervention. He said a restructured work week, set to take effect in September 2025, will help alleviate some of those issues.

“There’s kind of a stigma in the fire service that you’re scared to talk about (mental health) or that someone might take you off duty and you’re not going to be a firefighter anymore. For years it was something that people just didn’t talk about,” he said. “We’re starting to see more people being off duty basically for injury leave and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Management is turning a corner and starting to recognize it more and actually being very supportive of treating it.”

City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said she has spoken extensively with fire department management and friends following the recent news of the suicides, and she strongly supports a shorter work week. Kelly is particularly concerned about where employees will get the money to do so. Kelly cited various classes and programs that could be cut in the Parks and Recreation Department.

“The way firefighters work today is 24 hours on, 48 hours off, with shifts at noon, which means they’re on duty from noon one day to noon the next,” she said. “By the time firefighters get home, they may have families, kids coming home from school in the afternoon, and they don’t have much time to relax before their home life starts.”

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