--- title: Bethlehem Firefighters Push for Safe Staffing Amid Rising Demand description: The America’s Work Force Union Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Luis Jimenez, IAFF Local 735, joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/IAFF%20Local%20735%20Red.png --- 1 min read Season 7, Episode 10 # Bethlehem Firefighters Push for Safe Staffing Amid Rising Demand [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) January 14, 2026 [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [AWF](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/awf) [IAFF](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/iaff) ![IAFF Local 735](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IAFF%20Local%20735.png?width=400&height=400&name=IAFF%20Local%20735.png)   Guest Name: --- Luis Jimenez Guest Website: --- [IAFF Local 735](https://www.iafflocal735.org/)  Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BethlehemFirefightersL735) [ Twitter](https://x.com/Iaff735) [ YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@IAFFLocal735) Supportive Documents: --- In today’s episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Luis Jimenez, President of the [International Association of Firefighters Local 735](https://www.iafflocal735.org/), discussed staffing and safety challenges facing the Bethlehem Fire Department in Pennsylvania. The conversation touched on Bethlehem’s evolving needs as a post-industrial city and the uphill battle to secure adequate staffing that meets national standards. Jimenez began by addressing the department’s struggle to meet adequate staffing levels amid Bethlehem’s growth and development. While the department was once staffed with 116 personnel, current numbers hover around 100—despite the city’s population growing from 71,000 to 80,000 since the decline of Bethlehem Steel. At the same time, the city’s land has been redeveloped with casinos, hotels, and residential buildings, all of which require robust fire protection. Jimenez argued that as the city expands, fire staffing levels should grow accordingly to meet national safety benchmarks and ensure readiness for increasing call volume and more complex emergencies. Jimenez recounted efforts to push city officials to gradually increase the department’s headcount to 140, a level he argued would better protect both the public and the firefighters themselves. However, these requests are often met with resistance based on budget constraints and a reluctance to prioritize long-term safety investments. He highlighted the dangers of insufficient staffing, such as not having enough personnel to respond adequately to house fires or larger commercial incidents. In cases where multiple emergencies occur simultaneously, resources become even further stretched, putting everyone at greater risk, Jimenez said. Finally, Jimenez discussed the impact of current staffing on recruitment, training and mentorship. Whereas hiring events once drew hundreds of applicants, today’s numbers have dwindled, in part due to diminished pension benefits and fewer incentives. He said the lack of senior firefighters available to mentor new hires means less experienced teams face hazardous situations without the guidance once commonplace in the department. Jimenez emphasized that firefighters are not just budget line items and advocated for ongoing dialogue with public officials to invest in people before a tragedy forces their hand. He called on the community and leadership to recognize firefighters as essential public servants whose safety measures ultimately protect everyone in Bethlehem. For more from Jimenez, listen to the full episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast above. --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... [Read More](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) #### [AFL-CIO's Fred Redmond on the Convention, AI and America at 250](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/afl-cios-fred-redmond-on-the-convention-ai-and-america-at-250) : July 3, 2026 # AFL-CIO's Fred Redmond on the Convention, AI and America at 250 Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the [AFL-CIO](https://awf.labortools.com/), joined the [America's Work Force...](https://awf.labortools.com/) [Read More](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/afl-cios-fred-redmond-on-the-convention-ai-and-america-at-250) #### [C/COBCTC's Dorsey Hager on Drones, Data Centers and Growth](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/c/cobctcs-dorsey-hager-on-drones-data-centers-and-growth) : July 2, 2026 # Dorsey Hager on Drones, Data Centers and Central Ohio's Building Boom Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the [Columbus/Central Ohio...](https://columbusconstruction.org/) [Read More](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/c/cobctcs-dorsey-hager-on-drones-data-centers-and-growth) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "awfblog", "url" : "https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-14T20:20:18.062Z", "datePublished" : "2026-01-14T20:20:18.000Z", "headline" : "Bethlehem Firefighters Push for Safe Staffing Amid Rising Demand", "image" : [ "https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/IAFF%20Local%20735%20Red.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://awf.labortools.com/listen/bethlehem-firefighters-push-for-safe-staffing-amid-rising-demand", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/labor-tools-logo-white.png" }, "name" : "BMA Media" } } ```