Fire Service Staffing
Fire Chief
Alexandria Interim Fire Chief Jim Schwartz stated that staff are reviewing years of call data to assess the impact on neighborhoods
Webster Groves and its union firefighters have settled a long-running dispute over staffing requirements and OT costs
Survey respondents share their experiences with staffing stressors
In the past year, Polk County first responders have been asked to pick up 4,495 mandatory OT shifts, totaling 89,434 hours
Union and Toledo city officials have been in contract talks since May, as the department struggles to meet minimum staffing requirements
The Fairfield Fire Department is considering transitioning to more full-time staff due to high turnover and excessive overtime for part-time staff
Officials chose to alter staffing for an ambulance that runs within city limits, where it can get to the hospital quicker
Overtime was temporarily suspended to combat economic loss related to the pandemic
The city was previously ordered to pay more than $90,000 in backpay to 15 firefighters
New Haven fire officials said the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for the excessive overtime costs
Members of IAFF Local 2041 filed a lawsuit against the City of Chickasha for allegedly failing to pay firefighters the lawful rate for overtime hours
The firefighters’ lawsuit stemmed from a 2016 ruling that overtime calculations should factor in health coverage and other benefits
Gary Fire Chief Sean O’Donnell accused firefighters of abusing sick time, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime to cover their missed shifts
An internal auditor found that overtime expenses doubled over the last five years and in some cases doubled employees’ salaries
The city received backlash after a fire engine was temporarily taken out of service and a 10% wage cut for all city employee was discussed
The EMT has been placed on restricted duty after allegations he padded his overtime sheets to earn pay for unworked hours
The order comes shortly after the department head announced the cancellation of firefighters’ vacations until further notice
Two lieutenants were charged with stealing thousands of dollars in overtime pay for hours they didn’t work
The superintendent said the cancellation was necessary to protect the city in the wake of a voluntary overtime boycott
Unprecedented wildfires have taxed California firefighters and the state’s budget as overtime increased by over half in the last decade
“We don’t have an option of operating below a certain level ... we must fill the seat. Our overtime has exploded,” Scott Campbell, director of public safety, said
LAFD spokesman Peter Sanders said the department relies on overtime as part of its “constant staffing” model
The bill mandates overtime pay for local firefighters after they work an “average” 42-hour week — which is already the case in most, but not all, Rhode Island communities
The disagreement centers over paying overtime for firefighters called back to duty from vacation, who the county wants to pay as straight time, not overtime
Overtime added 30 percent to the city’s tab for firefighting services in 2018, during a period of ramped up hiring
Since 2007, the R.I. State Association of Firefighters has logged more than $290,413 on political spending
Two bills would strike from R.I. state law an exemption that shields the cities and towns from having to pay firefighters overtime after 42 hours
The Baltimore City Fire Department is paying overtime to fill nearly a third of its firefighter and medic shifts every day
The county will pay $7,600 for Bobby Bohn’s school, and will also pay him to take 1,200 hours of classes, 450 hours of ambulance rides and hospital hours
The city’s goal is to increase the number of firefighters from about 900 to more than 1,100 over the next five years
Firefighters claim in a federal lawsuit they have been denied overtime pay for nearly a decade
Waterloo Fire Rescue is seeking additional taxpayer support to keep its frequently “browned out” Station No. 6 open full time
The city of Kettering will have to pay more for full-timers, but the lack of part-timers has already boosted overtime costs they want to avoid
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