staff

As voters in Turlock consider whether or not to pass a sales tax measure to bolster dwindling City revenue sources, the City’s public safety departments are reaching critical staff shortage levels.

Turlock’s public safety agencies - the police and fire departments and dispatch - are struggling with a shortage of staff and obstacles in hiring and retaining staff, like higher pay and better benefit packages in other towns, are proving to be difficult to surmount. The Police and Fire unions both support the sales tax measure as a means to provide much-needed funding to staff the City’s public safety departments.

In the last week the Turlock Fire Department saw four experienced firefighters - three engineers and one captain - leave for probationary positions with the Alameda Fire Department. Interim Turlock Fire Chief Gary Carlson said he knows of two other fire engineers who are expected to leave for a neighboring department.

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