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Cambria firefighters urge board to lock in staffing and wellness funding
Summary
Fire captains and union representatives urged the Cambria board to adopt a policy protecting funding for staffing, paramedic coverage and health programs; speakers cited a fragile paramedic staffing level and long ambulance transport waits.
Multiple members of the Cambria fire department and its professional firefighters’ local urged the board to prioritize funding for emergency response, staffing and firefighter wellness before expanding parks and recreation responsibilities.
Craig Brooks, a Cambria fire captain and vice president of the local union, said the department has made progress moving to full‑time staffing and apparatus replacement but remains understaffed and exposed to risk if budgets shift. He warned that previous reallocation of funds away from staffing had consequences and said the resolution is not about saying no to other projects but “making sure the order is right.”
Interim Fire Captain Tyler Loudermilk, representing Cambria Professional Firefighters Local 4635, described a fragile staffing picture with “four paramedics on the floor” and said long transport wait times — “up to 45 minutes on multiple calls this year” — increase risks for residents. Loudermilk also urged establishment of a health and wellness program to reduce long‑term injury, illness and turnover.
Those statements framed public support for the resolution; board members who favored the measure said it would provide discipline and ensure funded contingency plans for deferred maintenance and fire infrastructure.
