Concerns Over Worcester Firefighters Retiring in Droves

Monday, June 04, 2012

Walter Bird Jr., GoLocalWorcester Reporter

The Worcester Fire department is preparing for a big round of retirements coming this summer. “An aging workforce has always been a concern of ours.” said Fire Chief Gerard Dio.

The city must keep up with what are anticipated to be a high number of retirements over the next several years. Dio said there could be 10-15 retirements by the end of summer alone. Given the high number of 50-somethings in the department – there are 35 members with 30 or more years of service – another wave is expected next year as a large contingent of firefighters who all came on together in the 1970s hangs up its boots and hats.

“It’s a timing issue,” said Dio. “A lot of guys came on in the 70s and now you have a lot of them leaving at once. It all has to do with hiring practices and when the city does and doesn’t have money.”

Proper Planning Needed

Advanced planning makes that effort easier, said District 5 Councilor William Eddy, who also chairs the Committee on Public Safety. He lauded Dio for keeping councilors up to speed when it comes to department and staffing needs.

“If I know the chief is telling us over the next two years we may need a class of 30 guys, that tells me, OK, when we start our budget planning next year, we’re going to want to consider that,” Eddy said, offering the same praise to Police Chief Gary Gemme, who also presented the council with detailed staffing reports before the city approved the new recruits for the police department.

Eddy acknowledged the need for youth in the fire department. He also admitted to being surprised at learning how many firefighters were over the age of 55.

“I respect this job,” Eddy said. “It’s a tough job. When they think it’s time to retire, I’m thanking them for their service. But we do need to get younger. It’s a job that demands a little younger gang.”

Losing Experience

While able, young bodies might bring more physical prowess and a greater resistance to injury, they will not bring the experience so many older Worcester firefighters bring to the table.

“From a managing perspective, yeah, it’s a good thing,” Dio said of bringing in younger firefighters. “But you’re also losing that institutional knowledge, guys that know what to do and have that experience. You’ll have young firefighters that may not have that experience, but probably bring a little more energy.”

Eddy said it’s all about “balance,” while At-Large Councilor Michael Germain added: “We are losing a great deal of experience. It’s a trade-off, a double-edged sword. The gain is these new recruits will have a greater capacity to do the physical aspects (of the job). But the guys going out, there’s a lot of institutional knowledge and life experience there. That experience cannot be replaced. They’ve been through an awful lot.”

As far as replacing those who retire, the council is in a wait-and-see mode.

“We’ll wait until September to decide on a new class when we know more about the retirements,” said Eddy. “Once we get a better sense we’ll decide. But I’ll be surprised if within a couple years we don’t have a new class of recruits. And then the department will be getting even younger.”

Younger Department

The current average age of a Worcester firefighter is 43.6, according to Dio, and it could drop more as newer and younger faces are introduced to the ranks. The department has had two consecutive classes of recruits the past two years: There were 39 in 2011 and 31 are currently going through training. The newest trainees graduate June 22. The city’s average age for firefighters is already more than a year younger than the state average. According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety, the average age for firefighters statewide is approximately 45 among those hired under Civil Service.

Dio said, “It’s a young man’s job. It’s labor intensive. You have moving hose lines, picking up ladders and lifting up people. The younger you are, the less prone to injury you are. We should see a reduction in injuries.”

What is most heartening to Dio is that about a quarter of the entire fire department is comprised of firefighters with five years or less of service. Of the 414 uniformed members of the department 104 have been on the job for five years or less, giving a markedly youthful appearance to an outfit some believed to have become one of the oldest in New England.

“The highest number right now is among those members with five or less years of service,” Dio said. “It’s almost twice as large as any other age group.”

Where once the fire department was lucky to have five firefighters in their 20s, now there are 55 in that age group, Dio said. There is a good “bell shape” to the age structure, he said. In addition to the 20-year-olds, there are 100 firefighters in their 30s, 120 in their 40s, 125 in their 50s and 15 in their 60s.

Public Safety a Priority

There has been a renewed focus on public safety, with the city hiring a class of 25 new police recruits earlier this year, in addition to the two new firefighting classes. It is, according to Germain, one of the city council’s biggest responsibilities. Germain is also a member of the council’s standing Committee on Public Safety.

“It is of the utmost importance,” Germain said of public safety, and of monitoring the upcoming firefighter retirements. “Going forward a huge priority is to watch the developments at the fire department. There are all sorts of issues you have to be conscious of. We have to find a way to meet the needs of the fire department.”