Yet firefighters say Hialeah has increasingly relied on hiring Emergency Medical Technicians instead of paramedics because of a shrinking pool of qualified applicants and lower salaries. Firefighters say that places greater demands on certified paramedics and can create challenges during critical emergencies. His concern about having enough personnel to respond to emergencies is shared across the department, where firefighters say staffing shortages have become an ongoing challenge. Two years later, firefighters say the department began experiencing a wave of departures that intensified after pension and salary cuts implemented in 2011. Many firefighters say they are also working under conditions that add to the strain of an already high-risk profession.