03/22/2026
Juneau community: Yesterday, our community experienced something that should never happen — a first-out ambulance was not staffed to minimum standards.
Minimum staffing is a safety requirement. Each first-out ambulance at the Downtown and Valley Stations must be staffed with at least one precepted EMT and one precepted Paramedic — individuals who are not only certified, but trained and evaluated to operate within our department’s protocols.
While volunteers play an important role, they are rarely precepted due to time and resource limitations and cannot fill these primary positions.
The difference between an EMT and a Paramedic becomes critical during the most serious calls — cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, and other life-threatening emergencies. Without a Paramedic on scene, certain immediate, life-saving interventions are not possible.
Yesterday, no Paramedics were available to cover the Downtown shift — even with mandatory overtime. Filling that gap would have required forcing a Paramedic to work an unsafe 72–96 hour stretch, which was not a viable or safe option for either providers or patients.
As a result, minimum staffing was not met, and that level of care was not guaranteed.
Ongoing staffing shortages continue to push crews into extended and often mandatory overtime, placing strain on both responders and the system as a whole.
Your local firefighters are working with administration to ensure this lapse in coverage is not repeated. In the meantime, staff remain out of contract as they seek fair wages through mediation with CBJ.
We remain committed to providing the best care possible — but our community deserves a system that consistently meets the minimum standard of care.
Want to learn more? Visit iaff4303.org to understand how we got here - and what you can do to help.
