Internal survey, grievances point to staffing strain at North Whidbey Fire

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Of all the challenges facing North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, insufficient staffing may be the most urgent.

Meeting its minimum staffing requirement is an ongoing struggle for the district, which is and always has been reliant on volunteers to serve the community. Results of an anonymous internal survey and multiple grievances — obtained through a public records request — indicate staffing shortages have contributed to burnout concerns, low morale and disputes over extended work shifts.

A five-year strategic plan presented to its board of commissioners at an April 30 special meeting described staffing — along with “deteriorating” fire stations, communication and morale — as “weaknesses” of the district and recommended hiring three full-time firefighters in remediation.

But finances are the biggest obstacle in the way of doing so.

“It always comes back to money. If I had my dream department, I’d have six firefighters on every single day,” Fire Chief Chris Swiger said. “But that’s not possible.”

There are four full-time, two part-time and some “per diem” firefighters, supplemented by roughly 80 volunteers, at North Whidbey Fire and Rescue. One full-time firefighter working each 24-hour shift is the minimum staffing requirement, per the collective bargaining agreement.

“We’re not meeting it and we never have met it in the 12 years that I’ve been here,” Swiger said.

Relying on volunteers as the district does comes with benefits and detriments. Deputy Chief Ray Merrill, who spearheaded strategic planning efforts, explained during the meeting that volunteers are cost-efficient but their availability is limited. Turnover is high among volunteers, too, making expending the resources to continually train them costly.

“Today, if we get a volunteer for three to five years, we have done extremely well,” Merrill said.

Minimum staffing requirements ensure firefighters’ safety and their success saving lives in the event of fires, Swiger explained. But there are other reasons to meet them.

WhidbeyHealth pays the district $285,000 annually to operate one basic life support ambulance with at least two EMTs all day, every day of the year. Cross-staffing allows the district to meet both its own minimum staffing requirement and that of the ambulance, Swiger confirmed.

Ambulance shifts last 24 hours, according to the contract, and the district must reimburse the hospital for every hour the ambulance is insufficiently staffed. From November through April, the district failed to adequately staff the ambulance for 13 shifts and an additional 23 hours — or 335 hours total — per a document obtained in the request.

“What’s good for the district is being able to run (basic life support) for the people of the district,” Swiger explained. “Plus, it gives us an income that we don’t have to be able to staff.”

Annual budgets of the last several years show the district operates on thin margins, and Commissioner Gerald Smith noted that the district’s property tax rate is low. Little growth is expected within the district’s territory, which shrank by 80 acres after the city of Oak Harbor annexed land in April, the strategic plan explains.

Further, it warns that “without additional funding sources, the intersection of limited property tax increases and operational costs will result in a (budget) deficit.”

Insufficient staffing may cost property owners as well. Some insurance companies use protection class ratings — administered by the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau — to set fire insurance premiums. Better ratings generally mean lower premiums, but the district’s rating fell from a five to a six in 2025 partially because it scored low in standards related to staffing.

Federal funding could make additional full-time hires feasible, Smith explained. The district plans to apply for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, created to help agencies comply with certain National Fire Protection Association standards.

Meanwhile, three grievances submitted by the North Whidbey Firefighters bargaining unit in March and April claim the district is misusing its authority to mandate full-time firefighters into 72-hour shifts in order to fully staff the ambulance.

Union vice president and full-time firefighter Taylor Crowe submitted the grievances on behalf of union members.

According to the collective bargaining agreement — which took effect retroactively Jan. 1 after its acceptance March 12 — full-time firefighters can work a maximum of 48 hours straight unless authorized to work more by the fire chief.

A memorandum of understanding proposed by the union in April, also obtained in the records request, would have amended the collective bargaining agreement to allow 72-hour mandates only in the event of a mass casualty incident and other major emergencies.

Swiger and Smith confirmed the district rejected the memorandum. Smith and Crowe declined to comment on the grievances and memorandum.

A statement from the union reiterated its commitment to protecting the community.

“Safe staffing to ensure firefighters go home after their shift is imperative to a safe community,” it read. “Local 5133 believes strongly in following the staffing requirements defined in the mutually agreed upon Collective Bargaining Agreement with North Whidbey Fire.”

Beyond violating the collective bargaining agreement, the grievances stress the potential for burnout and low morale caused by such a “staffing crisis.”

Twenty-one full-time and volunteer firefighter respondents of the internal survey, conducted last spring and summer to inform the district’s strategic plan, expand on these concerns.

An overwhelming number of responses to several questions cite insufficient staffing as an issue, urging either the hiring of full-time firefighters or the recruitment of even more volunteers. Many responses detailed belittling, condescending and disrespectful behavior among district members, with some describing a “divide” or “disconnect” between paid employees and volunteers. A majority of respondents rated morale fair or poor.

Such a divide is “always the case” in districts composed of both paid employees and volunteers, according to Swiger. Low morale can also be attributed to high turnover at the administrative level, Smith explained. A News-Times story published in 2022 noted an “unusually high amount of turnover” at fire chief over the last decade.

Whether additional staffing comes through grant funding, increased volunteer recruitment or future revenue sources, district leaders agree the current model is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. The strategic plan warns that staffing shortages, aging facilities and financial constraints will continue to challenge the district’s ability to meet service demands.

For Swiger, the issue ultimately comes down to ensuring the district can respond when people need help most.

“I lay awake at night thinking, ‘How am I supposed to protect this public?’” he said.