The Lancaster Firefighters Association is speaking candidly about the impact of its staffing shortages. Here’s everything you need to know.
The firefighters association in Lancaster is experiencing a staffing shortage that may lead to delayed emergency response times. The president of the Lancaster Firefighters Association, Raymond De Los Santos, told Spectrum News 1 that last year, “a fourth of all firefighters in Lancaster have left — that’s crippling.” This lack of first responders is creating further issues because, according to De Los Santos, “The majority of the calls we run are EMS, and our paramedic shortage — it’s horrible.” With fewer people on staff, existing firefighters and paramedics are required to work more frequent shifts to ensure Lancaster is still receiving the level of daily care and preparedness it needs.
The city released a press statement emphasizing this point, writing in part that it “has never left its residents unprotected,” which is true. There are always people around to assist in an emergency, but De Los Santos is trying to express that those who are on the force are stretched thin. He explained to WFAA at the beginning of April, “We work 48 hours and only rest 24, and then come right back to work, and more than likely work 48 again. He added, “I want the citizens to know, to be informed — Our firefighters are tired.” They’re also making less money than firefighters in other areas of Texas despite the 60% salary increase they’ve received between 2013 and 2025. “We’re still bottom of the barrel when it comes to pay with the surrounding cities,” De Los Santos said.
Staffing shortages have been a recurring issue for Lancaster, which has seen increased turnover rates over the last 10 years.
Turnover rates are high at the Lancaster Fire Department
Within the last 10 years, the Lancaster Fire Department’s turnover rate has fluctuated between 7.81% and 23.84%. The city says these figures are comparable to national averages, but Raymond De Los Santos thinks more needs to be done to avoid further turnover. “It’s frustrating that we’re not having the conversations that need to be had with the correct people,” De Los Santos told Spectrum News 1. He said it’s especially critical for city leaders to find a solution because hiring staff isn’t the problem—it’s keeping them on for more than a year that’s the real issue. “Just for firefighters, our average years of experience is less than a year,” De Los Santos said.
As the president of the Lancaster Firefighters Association, he understands why things might look like they’re fully functional from the outside, but the caveat is that many of the firefighters currently on staff are still completing training and certification steps right now. Last year, 19 previously qualified firefighters left, depleting the total workforce by 21%. They also faced turnover issues among fire apparatus drivers (about ⅓ of that group left as well) which has oftentimes led to “delayed response times” and “having to rely on other cities to come fill in the gap for us,” according to De Los Santos. “During an emergency, time is everything,” and the department wants to ensure it’s able to get where it needs to go as quickly and efficiently as possible. Retaining more firefighters is the key to making that happen.
In a press release addressing the staff shortages, the Lancaster Firefighters Association wrote, “Lancaster firefighters remain focused on ensuring safe, effective, and reliable emergency services for the community as we strive to overcome the challenges facing the fire department.” De Los Santos hopes that by being candid about these problems, they can help the public understand what’s going on behind the scenes and hopefully inspire and encourage more people to join the force.
