Palm Springs firefighters discuss their needs with local politicians

Firefighters in Palm Springs face a number of challenges as they roll out to calls day in and day out. Among those issues are staffing shortages and aging infrastructure, like outdated fire stations.

Firefighter engineer Brandon Wright explained that these issues can be draining for firefighters. When stations are short-staffed, some firefighters could be forced to work up to five days in a row instead of their typical "two days on, four days off" schedule.

"You know, I have three beautiful kids at home, as well as a wife. And my life's mantra is: 'I work to provide for them. I don't live to work.' And so when I'm force-hired, when I'm not going home to meet my family, they're the ones having to pay the price, as well as myself," Wright recounts.

He also explains the fire stations in the city are outdated. While the city would want to hire female firefighters, there are currently no facilities – like separate bunks and bathrooms – for women.

Firefighters raised these issues during a station tour with local politicians like Congressman Raul Ruiz in Palm Springs today.

Representative Ruiz said that since he's taken office, he has "directed some funding to create new fire stations, for example, like the one in Morongo."

He explains further, "I’ve introduced legislation that will augment their death benefits for their widows in case they they succumb while on the job."

"We need to treat them with the dignity and the respect that they are owed and they deserve," he emphasizes. He hopes that he can secure more funding for agencies like the Palm Springs Fire Department in the future.

Meanwhile, Wright says the department will continue to make do with what they have.

“We do the job with what we can, what we’ve got. ... That’s kind of like just a reality of the job.”