Adopt Resolution #21-100 Authorizing On-call Duty Officer Compensation in the Fire Department

The purpose of this case is to request authorization to begin compensating the Fire Department’s On-call Duty Officers.   This case was discussed with the City Council during the Special Work Session held on February 16, 2021.  Action was delayed on this case in order to clarify the available funding.  As a result of the adoption of Resolution #21-073, approving a transfer of excess general funds, there is funding available for this action. The related March 23, 2021 case and resolution are both attached.  

As background, the duty officer program is a terrific benefit not only to the Fire Department but to the thousands of residents and visitors we serve. Above all, the program ensures that a Fire Department official is responding directly to the scene, using the take home Fire Department SUV, within the just a few minutes of being dispatched to a call.  The early arrival of an officer enables the Fire Department to begin a critical "size-up" of the situation and the officer can begin directing responding units accordingly. The quick arrival of an officer sets into motion a number of critical steps, including the request for additional resources and personnel and the tactical direction of first arriving personnel and resources.  For calls that are minor in nature, the duty officer has been able to cancel or "slow down" other responding units which reduces the wear and tear on the Fire Department's fleet and greatly lowers the risks associated with an emergency response. The Duty Officer, unless relieved by a higher ranking officer, is also the single point of contact at an incident, serving as the Incident Commander.

Duty Officers are scheduled from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am, Monday through Friday, and 10:00 pm to 10:00 am on Saturday and Sunday.  Duty Officers are scheduled from Wednesday to Wednesday and must remain 100% available to immediately respond when dispatched to a call.  

Currently, on-call Duty Officers are compensated only when they are dispatched to a call.  Staff recommends compensating Duty Officers at two hours of the Officer's normal hourly rate for non-holidays and four hours for holidays.   Officers’ hourly pay ranges from $16.50 to $18.70 per hour, depending on their credentials and years of service.  This recommendation is similar to  the current Public Works on-call language and is aligned with what most of our neighboring fire departments have in place.  An example of  how our neighboring cities compensate their duty officers follows:  1)  Andover pays 24 hours of the officer's regular hourly pay for the one week of assigned on-call time. Andover's max wage in 2020 was $18.11 per hour which equates to $62.09 per shift.   Elk River pays $5.66 per hour, which equates to $67.92 per shift.  Ramsey's cost per non-holiday shift would be $33.00 to $37.40 (2 hours of pay) and per holiday shift would be $66.00 to $74.80 (4 hours pay).  

Summary:
Staff feels that in order to be competitive and fair, providing Duty Officers with on-call pay is essential.  

The funding required for this action with an effective date of April 14, 2021 is approximately $7,648.20.  As a result of the adoption of Resolution #21-073, approving a transfer of excess general funds, there is funding available. 

Staff recommends adopting resolution #21-100 to authorize compensating On-call Duty Officers at the Officer’s normal hourly rate, per day, as follows: Two hours for non-holidays and four hours for each of the eleven holidays as outlined in the City’s Personnel Policy. 

Motion to adopt resolution #21-100, effective April 14, 2021, to authorize compensating On-call Duty Officers at the Officer’s normal hourly rate, per day, as follows: Two hours for non-holidays and four hours for each of the eleven holidays as outlined in the City’s Personnel Policy.