According to lawyers with the union IAFF 2596, Fire Chief Charles Hanley is to blame for a staffing shortage in Jackson County Fire District 5 which serves over 20,000 residents in Phoenix, Talent and unincorporated areas of Ashland.

They claimed the district has lost five union employees in the last two years, with at least four more expected to quit soon, and that low staffing could jeopardize the public’s safety by delaying fire response time.

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/25/rogue-valley-fire-district-staff-exodus/