Disney World is under the largest expansion in resort history and with Disney’s new Skyliner Gondola system opening Fall of 2019, Firefighters working at Disney are starting to voice saftey concerns.
The union representing firefighters who protect Disney property say they’re understaffed at a time when they need to be hiring and are concerned about what will happen if the Skyliner ever goes down.
With 10 people to a pod, about 2,000 people could be up to 90 feet in the air at a time and over water in some spots.
Firefighters said they were already stretched to the max even before all the new growth started, according to WFTV. They say more people should mean more firefighters at a place that can have a population of up to 350,000 people on its busiest days.
“We’re at the max now,” said Tim Stromsnes, with Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters. “We’re just worried that with all this expansion, we’re not going to have enough firefighters.”
Stromsnes said 32 Reedy Creek firefighters work each shift. He said the fire chief recently requested to hire about 40 more but was only approved for two administrative positions.
“And we got no boots on the ground,” Stromsnes said. “Nobody that could do a gondola rescue or be on the tower truck or on the special ops team. None of those people were hired.”
Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger and Reedy Creek Improvement District administrator John Classe disagree, saying safety for Disney guests is their biggest concern.
“The safety of our guests and cast is, and always will be, our core focus in operating our parks and resorts,” Finger said in a statement.
