POINT: Let professionals lead fire & EMS staffing

I am a career firefighter, with 20 years of service to residents of Albuquerque as a paramedic firefighter, and hold a master’s degree in public health. As Fire Chief, my No.1 priority is providing high quality emergency medical services and fire response. The decisions that I make each day are rooted in years of experience and expertise in my field. After several years of research and planning, including support from Albuquerque Fire Rescue’s medical director, AFR successfully implemented paramedic staffing changes at two fire stations in 2023. I recently announced expansion of this staffing model so there is a paramedic on both rescues (our ambulances) and engines in critical parts of Albuquerque. This will allow us to get advanced medical care to patients faster while maintaining at least two paramedics at each fire station.

A good example of where this change could improve our service happened this past week.

All AFR’s rescues in the area were tied up on calls, so our engine responded to a call where a man was seizing. If a paramedic had been on the engine, they could have administered medication to stop his seizure. Because there was no paramedic on the engine, the patient had to wait for a paramedic to arrive on scene. Under my new staffing plan, every 911 call in the areas identified would receive care from at least one paramedic. With over 80% of AFR’s calls being medical related, this change would improve the quality service that we already provide to our community.

After updating City Council about this staffing model, I was shocked that the response from Councilors Dan Lewis and Joaquin Baca was introducing a resolution for immediate action that would prevent us from implementing our staffing plan. R-25-122 mandates how we staff paramedics, with no input from me or my command staff.

With any change in an organization comes challenges — particularly in gaining employee support — and opinions within our department are divided. While IAFF Local 244 leadership took a stance of strong opposition to our staffing changes, it is important to recognize that not all AFR firefighters share the same view. As Fire Chief, my role is to ensure that decisions are grounded in operational realities, not opinions. The discussion around staffing should be focused on what best serves the safety of our community and our firefighters, not political posturing. Disagreements between the IAFF and my command staff should be resolved by the Labor Board, not at City Council, as this is the foundation of labor management policies within the city. Politicians also lack the knowledge and data to make an informed decision about something as critical as fire department staffing.

When R-25-122 passed with a 7-2 vote, seven councilors shortsightedly voted to decrease paramedic response in their districts. This decision was misguided and uninformed. Public safety should never be a political issue. It should be a shared priority, where decisions are made based on expertise, experience and a commitment to protecting our community. I encourage our elected officials to correct this mistake by working with, not around, the professional leaders of our departments.

There is a fundamental difference between governance and management. The City Council has an important role in overseeing policy and ensuring the taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. However, when it comes to the daily operations and staffing in specialized departments, whether that’s fire, police or any other department in the city, decisions should be made by those with the training and expertise to make them. Our residents deserve nothing less.