East Lansing Fire Department hiring for new positions to address increased calls

• As East Lansing has grown, the number of calls the East Lansing Fire Department has responded to has with it. But staffing has remained the same.
• Now, the department is hiring for three new positions to help the department allocate staffing and resources better on a daily basis.
• Video shows Fire Chief Dawn Carson speaking about the need for the three positions and the impact they will have on the department.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

There will soon be some new faces at the East Lansing Fire Department after leaders announced they're hiring immediately for three new positions. I spoke with Chief Dawn Carson to learn why the need is so urgent.

"Our city has grown as a whole," Chief Carson said. "We have more MSU students attending, we have some high-rises downtown."

A growing population and a rising number of calls to the fire department. A number that keeps growing by an average of 500 runs each year.

"We're already 250 above our record from last year," Chief Carson said. "So if our average is 500, we'll well surpass that."

Chief Carson tells me while those numbers go up, staffing at the department has stayed the same. But that's set to change with the department ready to hire three new positions that Chief Carson says can help the department allocate staffing and resources better on a daily basis.

"We will run up to 30, 40, maybe more runs a day," she said. "And that's a heavy load when the majority of runs are just EMS runs. So this will help people keep up with the number of calls. It will buffer down some of that stress you're putting on and will significantly increase the morale of the department."

Chief Carson tells me that both paramedic and firefighter training is required to apply for the position. If you're interested in applying, you can do so on the City of East Lansing's website.

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