By BRANDON MESSICK
Daily Press Staff Writer
Two Artesia firefighters have resigned from the department in the past two weeks, according to Artesia Fire Department Chief J.D. Hummingbird, and the AFD is taking steps to retain its remaining staff by submitting a plan to change firefighters’ working hours from their current schedule of 24 hours with 48 off to 48 hours with 96 off.
“It’s a recruitment and retention tool,” Hummingbird said at Tuesday’s meeting of the Artesia City Council. “It will cut down on travel time and add more stability to the work schedule. In a nutshell, it’s something that’s been presented to me three times before, and I shot it down because the firefighters didn’t do their homework. This time, they did their homework, and everyone at the station was on board with it.” … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
