Vincent Hollinsid hopes Government will give the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service a handsome gift on his retirement — some extra funding to tackle staff shortages.Mr Hollinsid, who steps down as Chief Fire Officer at the end of April after 43 years, hopes to get good news in the Budget before he bids farewell.The service is currently 31 firefighters under strength. According to the chief, the problem is due to budget cuts of around $3.5 million over the past five years, rather than problems recruiting staff.The issue has had a negative impact on those on the front line, whose tasks include tackling blazes and medical emergencies and keeping LF Wade International Airport safe.“We have to cover shifts with overtime which doesn’t allow them enough time to de-stress.“That’s an issue we have raised with the new Minister and I am preparing a document for him to explain some of the concerns and fallouts of being 31 people under strength,” said Mr Hollinsid.“It’s had a tremendous impact trying to cover shifts. We have people working nine to 16-hour shifts, plus overtime, and then being called back in for serious incidents.“It puts a lot of stress and strain on them and that leads to burnout. We are hopeful we will be able to have our budget increased to hire an extra 12 to 15 persons.”The service had such trouble a few years ago recruiting suitably-qualified Bermudians that Mr Hollinsid had to consider hiring foreign firefighters for the first time.However, he said: “I think if we recruit now we will get very satisfactory personnel.“Because of the economy, people are looking for work. I think if we advertised now we would get several hundred applicants and we would be pleased with that. We should be able to find 15 people.”The 63-year-old fire chief decided to leave work a couple of years before reaching official retirement age.“I have mixed feelings about it, but I think retirement is a good thing, particularly when you’re still in good health so that you can enjoy retirement fully,” he said.“I have been in the Fire Service family for 43 years and I certainly will miss it and the colleagues I have worked with. It certainly will be an adjustment.”His successor has yet to be announced, but a Government spokesman promised earlier this month that there will be “a seamless transition at the head of the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service”.Asked who will step into his boots, Mr Hollinsid said: “The people who are coming behind me are quite capable and ready to take on the responsibility of Chief Officer and fulfil the other senior ranks.“I think the fire service has been served very well, and will continue to be served very well.“The Public Service Commission will make the decision about my successor.“There are certainly at least three people who are qualified, and it will be a bit of a competition between those three as to who will be the next Chief Fire Officer.”Asked which incidents will stick in his mind as the most significant of his career, Mr Hollinsid — who joined the service as a volunteer firefighter in Hamilton in 1969 — replied that there are “so many” it is hard to name them all.However, he said a blaze at Butterfield and Vallis in 1982, which destroyed the main warehouse and offices, and the fires during the 1977 race riots, are among the most significant he has tackled.“Another one that stands out is the one that occurred a few years back in the BAS kitchen when I was a lieutenant.“We almost lost a firefighter in that particular incident,” said Mr Hollinsid, explaining that a firefighter became disorientated in the building but was rescued.Listing the major changes during his time in service, Mr Hollinsid cited the 1998 move to turn firefighters into medical first responders.It meant an increase in the number and type of call-outs the service deals with.“Prior to that, the service was responding to about 1,200 calls a year — mainly fires — and now we have just over 6,000,” he said.“I think the firefighters have done a tremendous job, in particular in the east and west ends, because they’re the first responders in those areas. We’re able to get to anybody in the east and west ends within ten minutes.“That’s been of tremendous benefit to the community, particularly in light of the number of road fatalities and accidents. People used to have to wait 20 to 25 minutes for an ambulance.”Another significant change was merging the Hamilton, St George’s and Airport fire services into one service in 2007.Mr Hollinsid said this made the service “more resilient” as all firefighters are now trained to tackle medical emergencies, incidents at the airport and structural fires.He is proud of the new skills his staff have been working hard to acquire.There are currently nine individuals studying for bachelor’s degrees in fire science.Others have completed special training in fire safety inspections which will be stepped up in future to ensure buildings such as nightclubs comply with safety standards.Secure in the knowledge that the future of the service is in good hands, Mr Hollinsid will be focusing on something else instead.“I am looking forward to spending more time with my grandson and I want to make sure that my golf game gets down to single digits and spend more time on my boat,” he confessed.