TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The city of Troy is facing a shortage of firefighters, but officials are hopeful that the next firefighter exam will bring them a new wave of department members.

Fire Chief Eric McMahon said his firefighters have been working a lot of overtime lately to make sure all shifts are covered. He claims they’re down 10 percent of their workforce, or 12 members. Going into the summer months, retirements are expected, which will lead to more vacancies.

“We could be down as many as 20 members by the time we start our hiring process, and that’s a scary, big number,” McMahon said.

The chief is hopeful that the big pool of people signed up to take the firefighter exam on Saturday will help fill the empty spots.

“Right off the bat we’re starting with 144. We’re hoping that all 144 show up, we’re hoping that they all do well, and we have a large number of candidates to choose from,” he explained.

McMahon said many of those exam takers will cross-apply in other municipalities. He praised the city administration and his own department’s members for aggressive recruitment measures and spreading the word about their need for applicants.