Change of direction or leadership is needed now — for us and the citizens we serve. Long-term neglect of the fire department makes the city less competitive, and it puts all of us in the city at more risk.
The rank and file of the Weslaco Fire Department have lost confidence in their leaders and worry that they may not be able to continue safely serving city residents unless changes are made soon.
That was the overarching message the Weslaco Fire Fighters Association took away after conducting a survey of two-thirds of department personnel.
“We’re worried about safety. We’re worried about our citizens’ safety,” WFFA President Carlos Hernandez said Thursday.
The WFFA surveyed 47 of the department’s 72 personnel. All of those surveyed are members of the collective bargaining association.
The 28-question survey reveals concerns over inadequate staffing numbers, poorly maintained equipment and apparatus, poor training and risks to firefighter safety.
Of those polled, 80% responded “no” to whether they feel the fire department has enough backup resources or manpower “to mitigate an emergency effectively” when a unit is taken out of service.
Just over 76% of respondents answered “poor” to a question about the quality of the department’s apparatus, or fire trucks.
And nearly the same number — 74.48% of respondents — rated the fire department’s current staffing levels as “poor.”
More than half of the firefighters gave the department’s administration a rating of “poor” when it came to firefighter safety.
Those issues, in turn, have fostered low morale among the line firefighters — who Hernandez referred to as the “suppression guys” — and a general dissatisfaction with the department’s leadership.
“Change of direction or leadership is needed now — for us and the citizens we serve. Long-term neglect of the fire department makes the city less competitive, and it puts all of us in the city at more risk,” Hernandez stated in a news release the WFFA issued after it says it received no response from Weslaco leaders.
“This survey was presented to the city, the city manager and the fire chief sometime in February. To this day there haven’t been changes,” Hernandez said Thursday.
The city issued a brief statement in response to inquiries from The Monitor confirming receipt of the survey results.
“During meetings, the survey results were discussed and we are actively listening to the concerns expressed by the (WFFA). We hope our discussions will continue to be productive on how to work together towards our common goal of serving the city of Weslaco through excellent Fire and EMS service,” the statement reads.
But feeling unheard is precisely one of the complaints Weslaco’s firefighters have with their leadership.
In response to the question, “How well would you rate the Fire Administration with regards to listening to your overall needs?” 58.8% of respondents said “poor,” 29.4% responded “fair,” 1.96% said “good” and zero responded with “excellent.”
Two-thirds also responded that the administration is doing a “poor” job of managing the department, and does a poor job of communicating with subordinates.
Outside the city, however, the department’s leadership is well regarded — so much so that in January, Fire Chief Antonio “Tony” Lopez was named president of the Hidalgo County Fire Chiefs Association.
But back in town, nearly 75% of the firefighters surveyed gave the same “poor” rating to the relationship between their ranks and those in administration.
Part of the root of the rampant dissatisfaction comes from a longstanding shortage of personnel, many of whom serve double duty as both firefighters and EMTs or paramedics.
The association fears that if multiple emergencies happen at once, it puts the department at risk of making a Sophie’s choice — one where there are no good outcomes.
“We don’t have enough staff to do both,” Hernandez said, referring to responding to both fire and medical emergencies at the same time.
Exacerbating the staffing concerns are recent commitments by Weslaco to expand its ambulance service to include the rural towns in Precinct 1.
City officials approved the plan to provide EMS service to the Delta region after Pharr EMS late last year reneged on its contracts with the county to provide service there and in Precinct 3.
The abrupt disruption in service left county leaders scrambling for solutions. Ultimately, they cobbled together a series of short-term contracts with private ambulance companies and municipalities like Weslaco.
Now, Weslaco is required to staff two ambulances in the Delta region.
Our members believe the fire chief and his administration lack accountability and cannot adapt to the needs of a growing city.
The department is already stressed from meeting the rising needs inside the Weslaco city limits, Hernandez said.
Over the past three years, the City on the Grow has done just that — adding thousands of new homes, apartments and duplexes, and attracting dozens of new commercial and industrial businesses.
“Everything’s increasing. The call volume is increasing. … We’re at a point where something’s gotta give and speaking honestly about it is the first step,” Hernandez said.
Weslaco does have plans to increase staffing, and has maintained a “capital improvement plan” that lays out a five-year timeline for funding the replacement of big-ticket equipment, like fire trucks and ambulances.
And as recently as Tuesday, the Weslaco City Commission gave the go-ahead for the department to apply for a $395,000 grant via FEMA’s “Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response,” or SAFER, program.
The grant would fund the hiring of six additional firefighters.
But it’s not enough, Hernandez said.
A minimum of 16 personnel, and up to 20, serve on duty during one 24-hour shift. The department operates on a three-shift rotation.
An ideal staffing scenario would put four to five more personnel on duty per shift, or about 15 additional staff overall, Hernandez said.
“If you hire those six guys, that’s not gonna put us up to par,” Hernandez said.
Ultimately, the WFFA hopes the survey will finally spark change within the department — even if that means finding a new leader.
“Our members believe the fire chief and his administration lack accountability and cannot adapt to the needs of a growing city,” the association said.
