SOLEDAD: I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT." LONGER LINES, SLOWER SERVICE, AND MORE INCONVENIENCE. THE PANDEMIC HAS FOREVER CHANGED THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE. AT THE START OF THE YEAR, THERE WERE AN ESTIMATED FIVE MILLION MORE POSITIONS AVAILABLE THAN PEOPLE TO FILL THEM. BUT JOB SHORTAGES ARE NOT JUST HEADACHES, THEY COULD MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. THERE ARE REPORTS OF FIREFIGHTER SHORTAGES, BOTH CAREER AND VOLUNTEER, IN MAJOR CITIES AND RURAL TOWNS. ALTHOUGH IT’S HARD TO NAIL DOWN AN EXACT TOTAL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN MARION COUNTY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, THE DEPARTMENT IS HAVING TROUBLE FILLING VACANCIES, AND KEEPING UP WITH SOARING DEMAND. 911 CALLS HAVE DOUBLED THERE IN THE LAST DECADE. OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN HAS MORE ON HOW THE DEPARTMENT IS FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO RECRUIT STAFF AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY. >> WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DECIDED THEY DIDN’T WANT TO DO THIS JOB ANYMORE. WE’VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT THIS PROBLEM. THERE’S TOO MUCH AT STAKE. >> IT’S THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO FOR U.S. FIRE ADMINISTRATOR DR. LORI MOORE-MERRELL. >> SO THERE ARE DEPARTMENTS RIGHT NOW ACROSS THE U.S. WHERE THE SHORTAGES ARE SO SEVERE THAT THEY HAVE TO JUST SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS? >> THAT’S CORRECT, PARTICULARLY IN OUR VOLUNTEER CADRE. OUR VOLUNTEER STATIONS, THERE’S A LOT WHERE THERE’S NO ONE TO RESPOND. THERE ARE PLACES WHERE THERE IS NO ONE COMING FOR MILES AWAY. >> VOLUNTEER AND CAREER FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC STAFFING SHORTAGES, AND CHIEFS ACROSS THE NATION ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM. SO RIGHT NOW, I’M ABOUT 80 SHORT. I NEED A LITTLE OVER 500 UNIFORMED PERSONNEL. SO WE’RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO BRIDGE THAT GAP. >> MARION COUNTY, IN RURAL CENTRAL FLORIDA, HAS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERSTAFFED FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE. IT SERVES A GROWING POPULATION OF SOME 400,000 AND INCLUDES THE LARGEST RETIREMENT COMMUNITY IN THE NATION. >> WE CAN’T REDUCE SERVICES. WE STILL HAVE 911 CALLS WE HAVE TO RUN. WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT WITH 80 LESS PEOPLE. SO THAT EQUATES TO BEING BUSIER ON YOUR SHIFT. IT EQUATES TO MANDATORY OVERTIME, WHICH MEANS TOMORROW MAYBE YOU CAN’T GO HOME WHEN YOU WERE SCHEDULED TO GO HOME. >> FIREFIGHTER RYAN LIETS KNOWS ALL TOO WELL ABOUT MANDATORY OVERTIME. HE USED TO WORK AN AVERAGE OF 60 HOURS PER WEEK. NOW, HE HAS TO WORK AS MUCH AS 100 HOURS. SOMETIMES IT’S LITERALLY AN HOUR -- >> SOMETIMES IT’S LITERALLY AN HOUR BEFORE YOU’RE ABOUT TO GET OFF, AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT PHONE CALL TO YOUR WIFE. >> LIETZ IS MARRIED WITH THREE KIDS, AND HIS WIFE SARA HAS HER OWN DEMANDING JOB AS A NURSE, AND OFTEN HAS TO COVER FOR HIM. >> PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY, IT DRAINS YOU TO HAVE TO BE THERE FOR ANOTHER 24 HOURS. WHEN I’M HOME, I LIKE TO BE HOME WITH THEM AND NOT PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY DRAINED. >> HOW DO YOU TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT YOUR JOB? >> IT’S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE I DON’T WANT ANYBODY THAT I LOVE TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS. I STILL LOVE TO TO SAY THAT I’M A FIREFIGHTER. I LOVE TO SHOW OFF FOR MY KIDS. AND WHEN THEY COME TO THE STATION THEY DO GET EXCITED. BUT THE MOST HAPPY THEY GET IS WHEN I GET HOME. >> SOME OF THE HIGHEST SHORTAGES FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN THE WHOLE STATE OF FLORIDA ARE RIGHT HERE IN MARION COUNTY. WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S SO BAD HERE? >> WE HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH PAY AND PEOPLE SEE THAT THE MANDATORY OVERTIMES ARE HERE AND THAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATE. BUT HERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO END. >> MARION COUNTY AS COMPARED TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE REALLY IS THE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF VACANCIES. >> FIRE CHIEF HAROLD THEIS HELPED LEAD A STATEWIDE SURVEY OF FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO STUDY WHAT’S CAUSING THE SHORTAGES. >> WHEN YOU FOUND THAT NEARLY 3,000 FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOING TO RETIRE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, ARE THERE ENOUGH NEW HIRES TO FILL THOSE SPOTS? >> WELL, IT CERTAINLY HASN’T BEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. I’M NOT REALLY SURE WHERE THE SHIFT TURNED WHERE YOUTH WERE NO LONGER AS INTERESTED IN ENTERING PUBLIC SAFETY AS THEY ONCE DID. BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE IT HAS HAPPENED. >> THEIS WANTS THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S AT STAKE, FEWER FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES. >> ONE COUNTY SOUTH OF US HAD OTHER COUNTIES COME IN TO THEIR JURISDICTION TO RUN CALLS BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING TO TAKE UNITS OUT OF SERVICE. >> WHAT CAN THAT LEAD TO? I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? LONGER RESPONSE TIMES? >> YES. >> POTENTIALLY A HOUSE BURNING, LIVES LOST? >> IT LEADS TO ALL THOSE THINGS. AND THAT’S WHY THIS IS SUCH A CRITICAL ISSUE FOR US. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING TO TRY TO ADDRESS THAT IS MARKETING OF THE FIRE SERVICE. >> SOME CLAIM WE ARE HEROES. >> AND YOU CAN SEE THE CREATIVITY IN THESE VIDEOS. IT USES THE IMAGERY OF, YOU KNOW, THE HERO AND PROTECTING YOUR COMMUNITY, REALLY TRYING TO HIT THOSE EMOTIONAL WORDS AND EMOTIONAL PHRASES THAT ATTRACT YOUNG PEOPLE INTO THE BUSINESS. >> WE’RE FOCUSING LOCALLY ON TRYING TO HIRE LOCAL PEOPLE, FEEDING THE FIRE SERVICE THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS, THROUGH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS, FINDING PEOPLE THAT MAYBE CAN’T GO TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO GO TO SCHOOL AND HIRING THEM AND PAYING THEM TO GO TO SCHOOL. WE’RE REALLY GOOD AT HIRING PEOPLE. WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB AT KEEPING THEM HERE. >> MAKING SURE THE NATION’S SAFETY NET REMAINS STRONG FOR EVERYONE. FOR "MATTER OF FACT," I’M DAN LIEBERMAN IN FLORIDA