This message from Capt. Damien Vinson, the Chattanooga Fire Department’s community outreach and recruitment coordinator, concerns an ordinance change voters will see on their ballot March 4 and during early voting starting Feb. 12. The proposed referendum would amend the residency requirements for firefighters, police officers and other essential workers in the city’s charter.
The Chattanooga Fire and Police departments are facing significant recruitment challenges due to an outdated residency rule that requires employees to live within Tennessee.
Currently, a police officer or firefighter can legally commute over five hours from Memphis, Nashville or Knoxville but cannot commute five minutes from Rossville, Georgia, or nearby Alabama cities.
This arbitrary restriction limits our ability to attract and retain qualified first responders. At a time when both departments face challenges in maintaining adequate staffing levels, this rule significantly limits the pool of potential recruits and undermines our ability to ensure the safety of all Chattanoogans.
Public safety relies on a consistent influx of qualified candidates to fill training academies and replace employees lost to retirements or promotions. Within the next five years, 150 of the Chattanooga Fire Department’s 437 firefighters will be eligible to retire. The proposed referendum aims to remove this restriction, enabling us to recruit police officers and firefighters from neighboring states that are just minutes away.
Tens of thousands of individuals living in our surrounding areas work in Chattanooga, spend money in the city, and contribute to our community every day. These individuals are part of our legally defined metropolitan statistical area and often consider themselves Chattanoogans.
However, they are prohibited from serving as first responders simply because of where they sleep at night. By removing this needless geographic distinction, we can attract a more extensive and diverse applicant pool, including experienced and certified professionals who are ready to serve immediately.
This referendum would not compromise our standards. All recruits, whether living in Tennessee or across the border, must meet the same attendance requirements, pass the same rigorous tests, and adhere to the same high standards of service.
Expanding the applicant pool would enable us to address staffing shortages, save on training costs, and maintain the quality of public safety services on which Chattanooga residents rely.
Your vote in favor of this referendum would allow us to recruit the best-qualified candidates for these critical roles, ensure public safety, and build stronger fire and police departments. Help us make this necessary change to protect and serve our growing community.
Our objective will always be to recruit locally. That said, removing certain barriers – such as lowering the age requirement from 21 to 18 like we have done and eliminating the residency requirement – will help us to attract the best talent.
Capt. Damien Vinson
Community outreach and recruitment coordinator