Thompson Fire and Emergency Services is still struggling with a staffing shortage, currently operating with an approximate 21 per cent reduction in staff.

That resulted in an estimated 12-hundred hours of overtime paid out in January.

Mayor Colleen Smook addressed the issue on City Beat yesterday.

“What we worry about with the staffage shortage is all the overtime hours worked that we have adequate staffing and keeping the fire fighters paramedics from getting burnt out. We need to have sustainability in the fire department and working so many overtime hours definitely isn’t conducive to that.”

Smook said she had reached out to the head of Shared Health, Lynette Saragusa a couple weeks ago.

In response, a Zoom meeting was held Wednesday between the city and Shared Health reps to discuss the supports Thompson needs.

The Mayor said meetings between the two groups are now scheduled for every two weeks as they work together to address this and other health care issues for Thompson.