By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Anchorage Fire Department has responded to more than double the number of 911 calls over the past decade, reaching 50,000 for the first time in 2025, yet the department’s staffing level has remained flat at approximately 350 firefighters.
- Without additional personnel to distribute the growing workload, firefighters and dispatchers report mounting burnout, physical injuries, poor mental health, and increased reliance on voluntary overtime that cost the municipality more than $6.5 million in 2025 alone.
- A 2023 staffing analysis indicated the city needs as many as 57 additional full-time firefighters to reduce its unsustainable reliance on overtime shifts.
- According to a union survey of the International Association of Fire Fighters, more than 70 firefighters—approximately 20 percent of the department’s workforce—are considering or actively applying for employment elsewhere.
- Fire Chief Doug Schrage acknowledged the department suffers from burnout and morale problems while the city grapples with budget constraints that have prevented the hiring necessary to address rising call demands.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Firefighters and emergency dispatchers in Anchorage are warning of severe burnout and physical deterioration as the fire department’s call volume has surged without corresponding increases in staff, prompting a workforce exodus and raising questions about the sustainability of current operational levels.
The Anchorage Fire Department’s 911 call volume has more than doubled over the past decade, with responses increasing by 60 percent. The calls peaked at 50,000 in 2025 and are expected to set another record by year’s end, according to Anchorage Firefighters Union President Justin Mack. The municipality employs approximately 350 firefighters, a number that has remained unchanged despite the dramatic rise in emergency responses. The number of fire engines and ambulances dispatched to emergencies has also remained constant.
Dispatcher Frances Robinson, who has worked with the department for more than two decades, described the psychological toll of handling rapid-fire emergency calls without adequate recovery time. She stated that answering calls involving people screaming and reporting life-threatening situations causes her heart rate and stress response to spike, with no opportunity to decompress before taking the next call.
The demanding pace has affected her mental health, eating habits, and sleep patterns. Robinson’s shifts, typically 12 hours, frequently extend to 2 a.m. if colleagues call out and no one accepts overtime, disrupting her subsequent days off while she balances parenting two children with her husband, also a firefighter.
Captain Jeff McDonald, 54, returned to active duty in May after a seven-month injury recovery period. A suspect attacked him in 2025, tearing his hamstring tendons from his hip. During his 25 years with the department, he has sustained multiple serious injuries, including reconstruction of three levels of his lower spine after a back injury in 2004 compounded by four back-to-back calls that prevented recovery.
McDonald attributed his injuries to the department’s reliance on three-person frontline units rather than the four-person standard recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. The reduced staffing means fewer personnel to divide patient resuscitations, equipment carrying, and hazard mitigation during fire suppression. Firefighters often lack time to warm up or decompress between calls.
Firefighter Matt Carlson, 29, works at the busy Midtown Station where crews respond to nearly one call per hour on their heaviest days. On certain shifts, Carlson does not make his bed because he expects no time to sleep. He described feeling physically and emotionally depleted on days off, falling asleep by 6:30 p.m. without energy to socialize or pursue personal activities.
The municipality spent more than $6.5 million on overtime within the fire department in 2025, a figure reflecting the department’s heavy reliance on voluntary overtime to meet call demands. A 2023 staffing study commissioned by the city revealed that voluntary overtime shifts have become increasingly unsustainable due to employees’ desire to maintain work-life balance and growing awareness of chronic physical and mental health impacts associated with firefighting.
That same study projected the municipality needs as many as 57 additional full-time firefighters to reduce reliance on overtime. Fire Chief Doug Schrage acknowledged the department experiences significant morale problems and burnout and said department leadership has attempted to right-size responses by relocating ambulances to spread call volume among stations.
The municipality launched a Mobile Crisis Team staffed with eight newly hired clinicians to address behavioral health emergencies and frequent 911 callers, intended to reduce pressure on firefighters. However, operations are supplemented by firefighters working overtime shifts, limiting the program’s capacity to address the underlying staffing shortage.
An International Association of Fire Fighters survey distributed to members last year indicated more than 70 firefighters were considering or actively applying to positions elsewhere—representing approximately 20 percent of the department’s 350-member workforce. Carlson confirmed he is among those exploring other employment options.
The Anchorage Assembly requested an analysis of the fire department’s projected call volumes and current staffing model as part of a budget amendment this spring. The commissioned study will build on the 2023 analysis that found the city’s overtime model unsustainable.
Chief Schrage stated he feels strongly the fire department should expand but does not expect growth in the near future. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has emphasized that the municipality is facing a fiscal cliff that may necessitate additional cuts to public services unless changes are made to the city’s funding structure, leaving limited resources for fire department expansion.