Firefighters are taking legal action against the town, saying they’re dealing with a public safety emergency after being forced to fill in as dispatchers.
Firefighters in Falmouth, Massachusetts, are sounding the alarm about what they say is a hazard to public safety.
Due to a shortage of dispatchers, firefighters said they are being forced to fill in — even though they have had zero training.
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"It would be the same thing as if you expected a firefighter to go teach English class," said Falmouth firefighter Steven Bush, the union's president.
Bush said it is happening almost every day, and it is already taking a toll on public safety.
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"There can be delays on the calls. They could send the wrong pieces of apparatus, and that's already happened at least twice," Bush said.
The firefighters' union is now taking legal action to try to stop it by filing an injunction against the town.
"The town was not willing to discuss it with us, and they're basically forcing firefighters to do this job, so we had no choice but to file an injunction," said Nourhene Chtourou of Barrault Law, the firm representing the firefighters.
Chtourou said they have also filed a grievance and an unfair labor practice complaint. They are currently waiting for a court date on their emergency hearing.
In a statement, Falmouth's town manager said officials are doing everything they can to fill the dispatcher vacancies, but right, now both police and firefighters are filling in. He said the town will defend its actions.
"Meanwhile, I want to ensure the community that Police Officer and Firefighter response to emergencies will not be compromised," Town Manager Michael Renshaw said in the statement.
Firefighters said they hope to meet with town officials about the issue later this week as they wait for a court date.
"My biggest fear is something catastrophic could happen," Bush said.
