City leaders are finalizing Troy's budget, and there appears to be a familiar debate brewing over how to address the ongoing issue of staffing in one of the city’s most important departments. 

With 12 vacancies, the Troy Fire Department is facing what some call a staffing crisis.

“The ambulance that is here, medic two, jumps with engine two, so if engine two goes out on a fire call, there is nobody to man the ambulance and vice versa," said Eric Wisher, president of the Troy Uniformed Firefighters Association.

Wisher said Mayor Patrick Madden’s recent budget proposal includes funding for a new ambulance and fire engine, but falls short in addressing staffing.

“Tools of the trade are having people to put on those rigs when they go out the door,” Wisher said.

Right now, the vacancies are accounted for in the city’s budget. But Wisher said the money has actually been supporting the overtime required to maintain a safe level of on-duty firefighters.

“Is it realistic that we’ll fill all those vacancies?" Madden said. "Everything would have to go just right.”

Madden intends on moving forward with the current approach, and is also looking to increase training by about $75,000, eliminating a paramedic-certificate prerequisite.

“We hope that by lowering that standard for admission, we can attract more people and we can bring them up to that standard ourselves,” Madden said.

Other city leaders said there is a better approach.

“Our proposal is to not fill certain vacant positions, non-police, non-fire positions that have not been filled over the past year, year-and-a-half,” said Carmella Mantello, Troy City Council president.

Mantello said the money would support two more firefighters, allowing the department to increase the amount of firefighters on duty at any given time. She’s also encouraging the mayor to OK an external review of the department.

“A year ago, we should had that RFP out the door. And what will that RFP do, is essentially look at our model. We’ve had the same city-run ambulance model for 30 years,” Mantello said.

The mayor doesn’t believe that is a feasible approach, and said it would not improve the city’s firefighting capabilities.

“You know, fire departments run 24/7, so we have four shifts. And to add two more people each day to the fire service requires the minimum of eight hires, not two,” Madden said.

Wisher said the two additional positions would be helpful.

In the meantime, he said the department and its firefighters remain dedicated to serving the community.

“Just this year alone, as the chief said ... meeting calls are up 1,000 this year with two months still left to go. You know that will put us far beyond our capacity,” he said.