AUSTIN, Texas — The union that represents most of the firefighters in Austin wants city leaders to hire more cadets to address safety and mental health needs.
The Austin Firefighters Association said four firefighters have died by suicide since 2017 due to work-related issues.
Bob Nicks, the association's president, said firefighters are asking for an extra annual cadet class to add an additional 25 firefighters, with a goal to start applying a one-hour workweek reduction to a firefighter’s typical schedule.
Nicks said firefighters are there to help when someone might be having their worst day, but support for firefighters during their own roughest moments doesn’t always come to mind.
“You might see it once in your life [as] a regular citizen. But these folks see it all the time, and it has a long-term effect on them,” Nicks said.
Nicks said a high workload is a large contributor. He said firefighters currently work a 24-hour shift and have 48 hours off. After resting the day they get off a nonstop shift, they only have one day for themselves, do to things like run errands and spend time with their families, before they have to go back to work.
“A firefighter, unless he takes a vacation, never has a weekend off with his family ever,” Nicks said. “They start becoming like a stranger to their family when they're away that much, and when they come home ... their head is somewhere else, processing the injury that they saw or some horrific event.”
Lt. Amanda Bennett with the Austin Fire Department said that can start to get to you.
“I can't go to the Container Store without thinking of a car wreck," Bennett said. "I can't drive down Highway 1626 without thinking of a car wreck."
Bennett, who has been with the fire department for 16 years, said the deaths of her colleagues really hit home for her.
“It's a really big problem, and a lot of people are suffering in silence. And I was one,” Bennett said. “I attempted to commit suicide December of 2021.”
Bennett said she didn't see another way out and didn't feel like she could talk about the trauma seen on the job. She said there’s a large stigma surrounding firefighters and their image of being strong and tough, which can hold them back from asking for help.
“People brush things off, and I think it's a way to protect themselves because it's easier that way,” Bennett said.
Nicks said the department has also been having issues with a high amount of absences due to injuries. When injured members apply for worker’s compensation, they’re often denied surgeries or compensation up to two years.
He said the fire department has 70 to 80 people off at any time and that the city must pay $1,300 to backfill the position, causing people to work mandatory overtime.
“You're talking about $4 to $5 million that we're just p------ away, and the person [is] suffering in the meantime,” Nicks said.
Nicks said AFD offers great mental health resources, but treatment alone is not enough. There needs to be prevention, too.
“We're trying to get council to put in another cadet class, so when they graduate, it’ll be about the time this work reduction starts and they'll have a change in schedule which will actually be less work,” Nicks said.
Austin City Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly said the council has already been discussing the issue.
“There is a pretty hefty cost associated with it, and counsel would need to find out where that money would come from because it's not currently available,” Kelly said.
Kelly, a former volunteer firefighter, said she wants to propose a "no new revenue" budget, which could offer $44 million in cuts. She said those could come from cutting programs, like spending on spin classes the city does in partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department.
She could also propose that city council members forego their annual 4% pay raises.
“There are so many things that the city can do and has done, but there's always more," Kelly said. "And every life is worth saving. If this helps one firefighter not go through what the other firefighter did, then it would be worthwhile."
Nicks said the firefighters' union ultimately wants to reduce firefighters' work schedules by 2.6 hours, which would give firefighters 72 hours between each shift so they can relax and reconnect with their support systems.
But he said this is a good step in the right direction.
“If we're going to ask them to do this really incredibly important work for the community, we need to support it,” Nicks said.
He said the Austin Firefighters Association will have a press conference on Aug. 5 to publicly discuss their needs.
If you or someone you know are in need of mental health support, trained crisis counselors can be reached through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.