VIRGINIA BEACH, Va - With firefighter shortages in Hampton Roads, News 3 is taking a look at what it actually takes to become a firefighter, including the the physical demands Virginia Beach fire recruits and firefighters have to endure.
Fire recruits endure smoky conditions in a fire simulators to make sure they are well trained before going out in the field to put out fires.
One fire recruit who’s set to graduate from the training program in April says the job is physical demanding but rewarding.
"You’re constantly lifting things up and you have to be able to move a charged hose line through a building and it’s very heavy. I wanted something that was going to challenge me and be more physically demanding," Paige Kelly, a Virginia Beach fire recruit who's in the months-long training program said.
Nationwide, the industry is seeing a shortage of applicants. The Virginia Beach fire department says they have more than 20 vacancies. And are looking to hire several firefighters. The starting salary is $52,000.
"Part of it is the competition of jobs right now and Competing with remote working. This is a physical job. There’s a huge mental component to it too," Michael Carter, a Virginia Beach Battalion Chief said.
Here’s what Battallion Chief Michael Carter says about mandatory overt-time:
"We’re averaging 8 to 12 spots a day per shift that we’re having to call back for overtime, if not more. Sometimes up to 20 just to fill the day to day spots which is our minimum staffing," Carter said.
News 3's Leondra Head spoke to Max Gonano with the Virginia Beach firefighter's union about burn out. Gonano is also firefighter.
"There’s a lot of mandatory overtime because we are understaffed. We also have health concerns where people are getting cancer at a higher rate," Gonano said.
"Typically, how many hours are firefighters working a day?" Head asked Gonano.
"It’s a 24-hour shift. You’re starting at 7 or 8 in the morning and you get done the following day. And sometimes you’re told to stay longer," Gonano said.
Suffolk has 26 vacancies in their fire department and Hampton has 14 vacancies. We are working to learn the number of vacancies in other Hampton Roads cities.
