Dunmore Fire Department facing critical staffing shortages

DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A local fire department is facing critical staffing shortages, causing concerns for public safety from other fire departments.

According to a recent Facebook post by the Scranton Firefighters IAFF Local 60 Union, the Dunmore Fire Department is currently operating with three fewer firefighters than needed.

This shortage is forcing the department to “brown out” its ladder service on days when they don’t have enough staff.

This means the Scranton Fire Department is automatically dispatched to cover emergency calls in Dunmore.

The post also points out that the shortage stems from Dunmore Borough’s delay in hiring the necessary firefighters.

In a statement on their website, the borough said they are waiting for a certified list of eligible candidates before they can legally move forward with the hiring process.

The statement reads in part:

In the case of our current efforts to hire a firefighter, to date, the borough is waiting and must wait to receive a certified list of eligible candidate(s) of fire fighters without which, borough council is unable to legally proceed with the hiring process.

Borough of Dunmore

The Scranton Firefighters Facebook post also emphasized that every second matters in an emergency and that the residents of both Dunmore and Scranton are safe and have proper responses.

You can read the full statement below.

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