The City of Clinton is addressing safety and staffing vulnerabilities within the fire department, driven by recent discussions concerning personnel coverage during higher-risk hours.

At the Tuesday night Clinton City Council meeting, the Council approved a new letter of understanding developed to place a dedicated firefighter alongside the department’s driver engineer. On the WHOW Morning Show Wednesday, Clinton City Administrator Tony Harris told the Hart Media Group that, because part-time firefighters work outside the department, finding personnel for day-shift emergency responses has become an ongoing challenge.

According to Harris, this agreement will hopefully resolve the safety liability by guaranteeing a minimum of two emergency personnel are on the truck for all day-shift calls.

The Council approved the two letters of understanding on Tuesday night.