STARKVILLE – Starkville’s fire department is bolstering its ranks by rehiring lapsed personnel as reservists, hoping to improve training and faltering recruitment efforts.
The city announced its reserve team in a Wednesday press release, highlighting the experience of its returning members and the department’s hope the addition will “foster a culture of mentorship.” They are, however, full-service firefighters, helping bring the department up to near full capacity as it struggles to retain staff.
“For over 20 years this was my life, and I loved my job and the people I worked with,” said Todd Palmer, one of the returning firefighters. “They did a lot for me and my family. When they asked if I would come back and help it was an easy choice. If I could help them in any way, it would be my honor to come back.”
Palmer retired two years ago at age 44, wanting to spend more time with his family. He said it’s been an adjustment getting back into the swing of things with the other new hires, but he didn’t have any regrets about rejoining.
“When you work at the fire department you miss a lot of birthdays, a lot of Christmases, so when I had the opportunity to retire and move to an ambulance service, my wife and I decided it might be better for that family to have me at home more,” he said. “But when you’re young and retire, you still have that itch to be a fireman. I guess you always will. As soon as they called and asked me if I’d come back, me and my wife were completely on board.”
The program has hired back five former firefighters in Palmer, Roosevelt Harris, Wade Jones, Nicholas Pearson and Chase Taylor.
Interim Fire Chief DeWayne Davis said they’re a mix of firefighters that retired or simply switched careers, and confirmed that they would not be part of any special classes for recruits – they’re there to respond to fires, not just man facilities or conduct training.
The department’s press release also said the program was motivated by maintaining the city’s Mississippi State Rating Bureau Class 3 fire rating – one of the highest in the state – which not only indicates good fire response times but can lower insurance rates.
Trouble retaining new hires
Starkville’s fire department has continued to struggle with personnel shortages. The board of aldermen approved the hiring of eight new firefighters this year, but Davis said the turnover rate with new recruits is high. Part of the advantage of rehiring veterans is that he knows they’re prepared for the rigors of the career.
“We are still having trouble finding new hires,” he said. “The entire country is suffering in firefighter retention. People apply and work here for a little while, but then find out it’s not something they want to do for a career and depart from service.”
Today the fire department has 68 employees on its payroll, with active firemen split into three shifts of 18 people, Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk said. Human resources numbers say the department would need four more firefighters to reach full capacity, meaning with the five reservist recruits, the department is at or near what it needs to cover all its shifts.
Staffing issues shuttered Fire Station 5 in 2022, and Mayor Lynn Spruill said there’s no roadmap toward reopening it in the short- or medium-term. The city applied for a FEMA grant that would have funded the nine personnel needed for three years, but Spruill said the city had been notified the grant wasn’t coming in October.
Now the city is exploring other ways to boost hiring. Spruill said the rehiring program helps but can’t fully compensate for early-career losses. Structural changes were more promising in her view, such as updating starting salaries or reexamining Starkville’s requirement that all firefighters maintain Emergency Medical Technician certifications.
“We are looking at modifying the structure that has been an impediment to retention,” Spruill told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “We currently require that all firefighters become EMT certified. That has caused us to lose a number of them over the years. There are other options on how to handle the ability to serve in one capacity versus a requirement to be certified in both. We are still researching how we want to handle that.”
Palmer, who has continued to work for the Pafford ambulance service after his retirement and rehiring, was cautious about changing the EMT requirement. While he did think it incentivizes Starkville’s trainees to transfer to other areas, he’s also seen firsthand the difference medical training can make.
“It’s by far worth the tradeoff,” he said. “When you go to somebody’s house, they expect us to perform. If you lower your expectations you also lower the quality of what we give people, whether that’s medical or firefighters. How much is a life worth? That’s the No. 1 question.”
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