However, being such a small department meant each staff member had a heavy workload. Sometimes, staff responded to multiple calls at once, resulting in some cases where only one person responded to a scene. Calls gradually increase year over year — the department experienced a spike in 2022 with 2,316 calls — 236 more than the previous year. His letter, read aloud by a fellow firefighter in a Sept. 8 city council meeting, highlighted issues the department faced with underfunding, staffing and call volumes. “I think that this isn’t just a Franklin problem, it’s a fire service problem in general,” Dery said.