Winchester fire engine “browned out” due to staffing issues

CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) — The decision to put a fire truck in park is causing some concern in Clark County due to a shortage of firefighters causing a “brown out”.

Winchester Professional Firefighters Association says fire truck 3 has been “browned out”. It says the reason for the “brown out” is due to not having enough people to work the spots, something that hasn’t had to happen since the 1970s.

“It’s basically over a million-dollar ornament that’s sitting in the station that’s not being used,” says Ethan Brogli, a Winchester Professional Firefighters Association member.

He says the city has 12 openings for firefighters right now.

“It’s main purpose is ventilation as well as rescue as well as car wrecks so a truck of this caliber takes three to four people to staff and operate this truck,” explains Brogli.

So without this truck, he says the city and county only has two engines responding.

“Without this truck now if we have a structure fire or anything we’re going without,” says Brogli.

The group says this is a huge safety concern for the city, its citizens, and the firefighters.

Brogli says it scares him with firefighters having to work so many hours. But not only that.

“Kinda puts me on edge knowing that there’s an apparatus that won’t be responding to calls or to a fire or to a car wreck that could easily be one of my family members or one of multiple members of the department,” says Brogli.

He says pay and recruitment is why it’s hard to attract employees but he wants others to know just how rewarding the job is.

“Seeing the look on people’s faces when you save a family member not only on a fire scene but on a medical scene is priceless,” says Brogli.

The group wants to partner with the city and county to help with the retention and recruiting, so “brown outs” don’t happen.