Firefighters, union leaders tell High Point council staffing levels put crews and residents at risk

Multiple current and former firefighters and representatives of firefighter organizations urged the High Point City Council on Monday to address what they described as a staffing crisis in the High Point Fire Department, saying persistent understaffing reduces safety for residents and for firefighters.

The concerns were raised during the public comment period. Scott Mullins, president of the Professional Firefighters & Paramedics in North Carolina, cited National Institute of Standards and Technology research and urged the city to maintain four-person fire crews, saying the evidence shows larger crews complete critical tasks faster and more safely. "4 person firefighting crews can complete 22 essential firefighting and rescue tasks in a typical residential structure 30% faster than 2 person crews and 25% faster than 3 person crews," Mullins said.

Union representatives and former firefighters gave consistent accounts of recent operational impacts. Robert Templeton, who said he represents the High Point Professional Firefighters Association, told council: "If this council doesn't act, we are 1 incident away from a serious injury or, God forbid, a line of duty death. ... We are insisting on 3 things, full funding for fire equipment, and training, NFPA compliant staffing of 4 person per apparatus, and end of unsafe practices doing more with less." Templeton said heavy rescue and air-resource units have been taken out of service when staffing fell short.

Former and current department members described specific operational effects. Michael Kellum (stated in testimony as a High Point firefighter) said some stations were unstaffed on days when, he argued, they should have been available. Scott Stanley, a former firefighter, said he left the department partly because of an enduring culture that he described as punitive toward employees who raised safety concerns. Robert Nichols Jr., a retired firefighter, described how three-person crews can struggle to perform simultaneous tasks such as interior firefighting and CPR: "3 can't do it because you got 1 who's driving the engine... these guys work overtime...you're putting them at risk."

Speakers repeatedly referenced NFPA 1710, the National Fire Protection Association staffing guideline recommending minimum crew sizes, and criticized an internal message by the fire chief that the department was "plus 3 on staffing" at a prior committee meeting. "How can that be true?" Stanley asked, noting that equipment had been taken out of service when staffing was insufficient.

What council said and asked staff to do: Council members thanked the speakers and repeatedly asked staff for comparative data. Council Member Andrew requested a comparison with similarly sized municipalities in North Carolina on staffing and training metrics and said he wanted detail on how the city's staffing and training compare with peer cities. The city manager said staff already began looking at staffing concerns in October 2024 and agreed to prepare further analysis.

Requests and outcomes: Members of the public and union representatives requested three primary outcomes: (1) staffing to meet NFPA 1710 minimums (four personnel per apparatus), (2) full funding for training and equipment, and (3) an independent review of leadership/culture in the fire department. Council did not take an immediate vote or adopt a formal resolution addressing these requests during the meeting; instead, members asked staff to compile the comparative staffing/training analysis and indicated they would review the information and consider further action, including potential budget amendments.

Why it matters: Speakers and council members described the issue as a public-safety concern that affects response times, firefighter safety and insurance underwriting for properties. Council members said the budget is already adopted for the coming year, but can be amended and that staff follow-up is necessary before the council considers structural or policy changes.