CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Staffing shortages in the Canandaigua Fire Department are raising new safety concerns after a recent fire response the union claims only had four paid firefighters on scene.
Adam Crandall, vice president of Local 2098, said the city has been warned for years about low staffing levels. Multiple studies have recommended adding more firefighters, but the city recently chose not to apply for a federal SAFER grant that could have helped with hiring.
“We’re putting strain on our community, putting strain on our firefighters as well. They’re having to go out and make decisions instantaneously. And if we were better staffed, maybe they didn’t have to consider, should I go inside right now or should I run command?” Crandall said.
Crandall said the union wants city leaders and residents to take the staffing study seriously and work together on a solution before another tragedy occurs. He said the department has been in discussions with the city about staffing for several years, and a study released in October 2025 indicated that more firefighters are needed.
On Oct. 11, four paid personnel responded to a fire at 5 Beeman St. and immediately called for backup from mutual aid partners, Crandall said. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 28 personnel are recommended for such a response.
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Crandall said, “We just would like the public to know in Canandaigua that there still is some safety issues regarding staffing levels.”
He explained that the SAFER grant is a federal program that provides funding for up to three years of firefighter salaries, gradually shifting the cost to the municipality. Crandall said the decision not to apply for the grant was made by the city and city manager.
Currently, the department often has only four or five personnel on duty at a time, Crandall said. He noted that about 35% of calls happen simultaneously, which puts additional strain on the system.
Crandall said, “There was an opportunity for a grant to be applied for, the SAFER grant is what it’s commonly referred to as, and there was this decision to not go forward with hiring a SAFER grant.”
He added that multiple studies, including one in 2018 and another in 2025, have indicated that staffing is an ongoing issue. The most recent study recommends adding up to 10 firefighters, though Crandall acknowledged that may be difficult to achieve.
“We know that that could be a challenge on any municipality, but at the same time, we also believe that our members deserve better. The community deserves better. And it would be really tragic if we had more and more issues with staffing related incidents, injuries from citizens to our firefighters,” Crandall said.
The Canandaigua Fire Department covers part of the town through a contract, while two volunteer departments serve other areas. Crandall said mutual aid agreements help provide additional resources when needed.
Crandall said, “We would like the city, the city council, a manager, a mayor, we’d all like to try to come together to find a reasonable solution for this. And we think the study was a reasonable solution and we would like that to be the most important part of coming together and working together.”
News10NBC will continue to follow developments as city leaders and firefighters discuss possible solutions.
We reached out to the City of Canandaigua Fire Department to see if there was an update to that fire on Beeman Street yet, the chief told us the city is working with the building owner to help people move back into the upstairs apartments after the fire.
The chief anticipates providing an update on the investigation sometime next week.
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