ATLANTA — Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond has raised concerns about staffing levels in the city’s fire department.

Bond says the city is not currently operating at optimal firefighter levels and is calling for at least four firefighters to be assigned to each responding truck during emergencies.

“We’re not at the optimum number of firefighters,” Bond said.

The local firefighters union has confirmed that many engines in Atlanta operate with only three personnel, a practice Bond says could compromise response effectiveness.

“We want to be firing at all cylinders. We want to have the optimum number of firefighters responding to every single call in the city,” Bond said.

The city council’s Public Safety Committee is expected to address staffing concerns during their meeting on Monday.