Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 - (Page 29)

Problems and Solutions: THE BEST PRACTICE TO STAFF FIRE APPARATUS By Victor Medrano, Assistant Fire Chief, Baytown Fire Department any fire departments within the state are dealing with the issue of staffing fire apparatus with overtime. The downfall to this style of staffing management is the impact on the department’s budget as well as the impact on current employees. Every fire chief’s focus when preparing the budget for the department is the safety of the firefighters, citizens and visitors within the community. The problem seen in many departments is that there are not enough fire personnel to adequately staff the department without utilizing overtime. By using overtime to cover the staffing issues, these departments are not able to fund other important programs such as backfi ll for training or public safety education. If fire M chiefs are able to adequately staff their departments, they will face a reduction in overtime expenditures allowing them to utilize the overtime line to perform other needed programs. There are many ways a department can overcome the overtime problem caused by staffing. I will illustrate the program that we presented to management and describe the end results. The Baytown Fire Department was experiencing a high rate of overtime due to staffing shortages. The program described the reasons we were facing the rise in overtime usage, what we felt the benefits would be in hiring additional firefighters as shift breakers and the cost savings to the department’s overtime budget. The Baytown Fire Department utilizes three shifts to staff five fire stations 24 hours a day. This required 78 certified personnel to maintain the charter-required minimum of fourperson staffing on each of the five apparatus, plus a shift commander. There must be a minimum of 21 personnel on duty at all times to provide this adequate response. The department’s schedule allows one position to schedule “off” per station for vacation, injury, training assignment or due to a job vacancy. When staffing drops below 21, due to illness or injuries, overtime is utilized to maintain the minimum staffing levels. The staffing shortages requiring the use of overtime for extended periods were often caused by vacant positions and/or long-term injuries/ illness. For fiscal year 2004, the department spent $360, 949 in overtime costs, with $299,087 going towards staffing; this was $160,942 over the approved budget. In fiscal year 2005, the department spent $355,786 in overtime, with $278,829 allocated to staffing. These figures do not include the fringe benefits that were also paid such as retirement and certification levels. In addition to having a significant impact on the budget, many fire employees work 48 hour shifts without relief. This has a potential long-term impact on the firefighter’s ability to make critical decisions and to operate safely in dangerous situations. 29 TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 Contents Executive Director’s Report Texas Fire Chiefs Academy Project Reports Southwest Fire Rescue Conference Program Membership Application Customer Service Orientation in Fire Rescue Departments A Visit to the E-One Plant Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

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