An evaluation of Hartford Fire and Rescue showed that the department is currently faring better than many fire departments are with national shortages in fire and emergency medical service personnel, but that is not likely to last forever.
The Common Council heard a presentation this week from Dan Williams from Strategic Management & Consulting. The firm was hired to review Hartford Fire and Rescue’s operations.
“We’re experiencing the same types of struggles as the entire EMS service and United States and anyone operating with a paid-on-call volunteer system,” Fire and Rescue Chief Paul Stephans said. In a summary report to the Common Council, Stephans noted that the department’s call volume has gone up from 1,544 in 2015 to a projected 2,200 in 2021, for a 41% increase.