Answering the Call: Staffing Shortage

In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, cities around the country were searching to cut back. After years of sales tax revenue increases and other signs of strong economic times, the downturn in housing and financial markets led to lower income for municipalities through tax revenue and all of a sudden cities were forced to make hard decisions. From a macro perspective, it seems easy to find ways that local governments can cut back without dire consequences. When we look at how it affected fire and emergency services, however, the result was a decision that costs lives.

For those not in fire service, allow me to explain--using some vast generalities--the seating positions of a typical four man fire truck. Typically, the driver of the apparatus works the pumps once on scene. He/she is called the operator. The front passenger seat is called the officer seat, is typically a captain or lieutenant, and that position is typically for the individual who leads the crew on that particular fire truck. The two positions in the back seat are simply called firefighter positions, and typically are given jobs such as fire attack, search and rescue, or other jobs as assigned. For any firefighters reading this, we can all attest that it takes all four seats being full to be effective on the fire ground. While one less firefighter is literally only 25% less individuals mathematically speaking, the ability of the remaining firefighters to work to at least 75% capacity with only three of four firefighters is greatly diminished, if not impossible.

That being said, this is exactly the expectation many cities placed on their local fire service. The fire departments sought to prevent this from happening, but when the choice is to reduce staffing or cut staffing all together, many chose the lesser evil. One fire service website stated that adequate staffing is very similar to a good insurance policy. You only worry about it when you need it, but to find out you are uncovered can be devastating.

And so it has come to be that fire houses and fire trucks are staffed with fewer, though the fire calls continue roll in and the fire trucks continue to roll out. They still must answer the call.

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This past week, our "little mission team that could" lost a team member. One of our teammates informed us that moving to the other side of the world was no longer a commitment that she is willing to make. Many mission teams have multiple family units, including singles, couples, and children. Our team, however, was just my wife and I as well as two singles. Though small, each individual on our team had a unique capability, much like the seating positions on a fire engine. Each of the four of us had very unique personalities and gifts, which tended to give us the ability to have a very well-ranged perspective as a team.

For anyone who has never had the privelege to serve on a long term mission team, it is important to note the psychological impact of losing a teammate. Many have likened such a loss to a serious couple breaking up. There is a great sense of betrayal when you place your trust in an individual to work with you into the next decade only to find out that he/she has decided to break off said commitment.

And so it has come to be that "the little mission team that could" is now staffed by three instead of four. Just like the relationship of fire calls to fire trucks, God still calls this team, and this team will still answer the call.

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