LINCOLN, Calif. — The Lincoln Fire Department is set to hire nine new firefighters after nearly 10 years without a new hire.
Tamie Rogers has been a Lincoln resident for about 10 years.
"I was thrilled to hear the news. Lincoln is growing by the day and we desperately need more firefighters. I’m grateful for all the efforts of our city leaders to make this a priority," Rogers told ABC10.
Lincoln is growing and with that comes more demand for service.
"We were nervous that this day wasn't going to come but we just kept at it and here we are today getting ready to onboard nine new folks," said Public Safety Chief Matt Alves.
The funding for the new crew members comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which covers the costs for three years. After that point, the costs will come from the city's General Fund.
"We have been struggling with staffing for many years in the mid-2000s, the economic downturn," Alves said. "We did lay off a number of our public safety, both police and fire staff."
Rogers said before the department announced it would be hiring new people, she was concerned.
"Fires in California have become the norm, especially during peak fire season. We need the infrastructure ready and available to combat whatever comes our way," Rogers told ABC10.
According to Alves, the current staffing at the fire department is three stations on duty 24 hours a day. Each station is staffed with a fire captain and a fire engineer. After the hiring, three new firefighters will go to each of the three fire stations.
"So you call for fire engine for a medical aid, instead of two people, now you're going to have three, which gives a complete extra person to be able to attend to an ill individual or a loved one," Alves said.
The new crew members ideally translate to improved response times and faster and better care for people in an emergency situation.
"Instead of having to wait for that next engine coming in, we're going to be responding with one more person, which is going to be huge just for the everyday medical aides and random tasks that we do day in and day out," Alves said.
Alves said all nine of the new firefighters will be up and running through their training by the end of the year.
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