Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel said he would like to add 30 firefighters to the department over the next five years, according to the Star Tribune.
This week, Fruetel told the City Council Public Safety Committee that due to on-the-job injuries firefighters face, he has difficulty staffing the department’s 19 fire stations with the minimum of 92 firefighters per shift, which is approximately 24 hours long.
Fruetel said he regularly meets the minimum requirements by having firefighters work overtime, and in order to improve safety, he said he would like to have 100 firefighters per shift.
Fruetel’s proposed additions do not include firefighters who will come back from layoff or new hires that will be needed soon to replace retirees.
