Discussion Regarding Fire Department Staffing

The purpose of this case is to provide the City Council with a brief update regarding a daytime staffing shortage in the Fire Department and a high priority request for authorization to immediately begin the internal hiring process for the new Fire Inspector, which was proposed to start in July.  

The Fire Department’s daytime staff normally includes four full-time employees, including the Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director, the Assistant Fire Chief, the Captain of Fire Administration and the Fire Marshal.  All four of these employees have their normal full-time duties, as well as responsibilities to respond to fire and emergency calls that occur within the work day.  

Currently, the department is down by one full-time employee, which is 25% of the currently authorized regular staffing.  This staffing shortage has created a hardship in the department by not only shifting high priority extra work, normally handed by the employee who is absent onto others, but also by having one less firefighter on standby to respond to fire calls.   

The staffing shortage, which is anticipated to last until around July 1st, could be partially remedied by hiring the new full-time Fire Inspector now.  The potential start date is estimated to be mid-March through April 1st. 

The Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director sought additional coverage from paid-on-call firefighters who are able to commit extra time, but this coverage is limited due to scheduling limitations of the firefighter’s daytime employment and other factors outside the City’s control.

It should be noted, as per the City’s personnel policy, one employee will receive interim pay for taking on duties outside his normal scope of work; per policy, interim pay shall not exceed six months. 
 

The additional funding required to hire the fulltime Fire Inspector three months early is estimated to be $25,750 to $28,000, depending on the starting wage.  Funding is available due to other positions within the City that are unexpectedly vacant, creating savings in those departments, as well as other funds.  

 

To provide consensus direction to begin the hiring process for a full-time Fire Inspector.
 

To provide consensus direction to begin the hiring process for a full-time Fire Inspector, or based on discussion.