Our Firefighters Show Up Every Day. The Study Shows Why Supporting Them Matters.

By: Lou Jimenez, President

October 16, 2026

When someone calls 911, they are not thinking about staffing charts, budget discussions, or how many firefighters are assigned to an engine. They are thinking about the person they love, the home they may lose, or an emergency they cannot handle alone.They need help, and they need to trust that the people responding are prepared.

Day in and day out, Bethlehem’s firefighters work to meet that responsibility. Our work includes fires, vehicle crashes, medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, and specialized rescues. It also includes the training, prevention, and public education that help us protect this community before an emergency happens.

That is why the release of the City’s Fire and EMS study, conducted by the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM), deserves the public’s attention. Behind the findings and recommendations are real people: the residents who depend on these services and the firefighters and EMS personnel responsible for providing them.

What the study tells us
CPSM’s recommendations come from an assessment of Bethlehem’s emergency response data, staffing, deployment, facilities, and community risks, alongside recognized fire and EMS standards and practices. This is an evaluation of our city’s needs—not simply a count of how many times a fire engine leaves the station. That distinction matters.

The report recognizes that Bethlehem generally has effective routine fire coverage. It also explains that our staffing limits the department’s ability to assemble enough firefighters to perform all the necessary tasks at serious fires. Both findings can be true. A department can handle its ordinary workload while still needing more personnel to manage a major emergency safely and effectively.

The question is not only how often we respond. It is whether enough trained people can arrive when the situation demands them.

CPSM recommends that the City consider increasing minimum staffing on fire suppression units to at least three personnel in the near to medium term, with an officer on each engine and ladder company. Its longer-term recommendations include four-person staffing on engines operating from single-company stations and on both ladder companies.

The report also recommends dispatching firefighters alongside Bethlehem EMS to all Priority 1/high-acuity medical calls. In everyday terms, that means sending firefighters and EMS together to serious medical emergencies so help can reach the patient as quickly as possible.

Local 735 has advocated for many of these changes for years, and we will continue to do so. We have asked for additional staffing, stronger officer coverage, and the opportunity for firefighters to respond to more high-priority medical emergencies because we believe those changes will better serve our residents.

Having those needs reflected in this study is important. But this should not become an argument about who gets to say they were right. It should become a discussion about what we do next.

The people behind the response
I also want our residents to understand something that can get lost when this conversation becomes focused on numbers: our firefighters’ commitment to this community is not a line on a spreadsheet.

The public sees an emergency response. What is less visible is the preparation behind it. Training and professional development, fire prevention, public education, and community outreach are also part of the work Bethlehem firefighters perform. CPSM itself recognizes the department’s substantial training efforts while identifying opportunities to improve them further.

A firefighter should not have to encounter a particular emergency every week to be prepared for it. The purpose of training is to build the skills needed before someone’s life depends on them. Readiness matters even when the next call has not come in.

I am proud of our firefighters and the responsibility they accept every time they report for duty. But doing the best we can with what we have should never be treated as proof that we have everything we need.

CPSM explains why staffing matters in practical terms. With enough personnel, critical tasks such as fire attack, search and rescue, water supply, ventilation, and firefighter safety functions can occur at the same time rather than waiting for one task to be completed before another begins. The report connects additional staffing to reduced individual workload and stronger operational safety.

That is what we are talking about when we advocate for more firefighters. We are talking about the ability to get essential work done when time matters.

Our firefighters have families of their own. Their safety and the safety of the people they serve should not be treated as competing priorities. We should be working toward a system that gives residents the help they need while giving firefighters the resources and support to provide it safely.

Respecting their dedication means listening when they identify needs—not simply thanking them for continuing to get the job done.

A report needs a plan
The study does not automatically approve positions, provide funding, or establish an implementation date. CPSM acknowledges that recommendations may require funding over several years and, in some cases, bargaining.
Nobody is suggesting that every recommendation can be implemented overnight. Responsible planning requires priorities, realistic costs, and a clear understanding of what can be accomplished now and what will take longer.
But identifying a challenge should lead to a plan for addressing it.

Residents deserve to hear which recommendations the City intends to pursue, what improvements can begin in the near term, and what the longer-term goals will be. Where the City chooses a different approach, the public deserves an explanation of how that approach will address the needs the study identifies.

We are sharing the study because we want you to read it for yourselves. Consider the full report, including both the strengths it recognizes and the improvements it recommends.

Please attend the Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in Town Hall. The Fire/EMS Operations Study is on the agenda.

Bring your family, neighbors, and friends. Ask what the findings mean for your neighborhood. Ask what the priorities are and what the plan is moving forward. You do not need to be a firefighter to have a voice in the safety of your community.

This is not about the City versus the union. It is about the level of protection Bethlehem provides to the people who live, work, and visit here. Our firefighters will continue showing up for this community, day in and day out. Supporting them means making sure they have what they need when you need them most.

To access the Fire and EMS Efficiency Study, Click here.