Newark council delays fire staffing decision
NEWARK – More than three hours of discussion and debate provided plenty of frustration but no council action on a proposal to hire up to 20 part-time, non-union firefighters.
The three Democrats on the council's Personnel Committee said they needed more time to consider all the information provided at Monday night's committee meetings, while the two Republicans voted to support legislation creating part-time positions to help reduce firefighter overtime.
The ordinances were tabled until Aug. 10, with Democrats Carol Floyd, Jeremy Blake and Alex Rolletta supporting the delay. Republicans Doug Marmie and Ryan Bubb voted against tabling the measure.
The city has claimed that firefighter absenteeism, overtime costs and growing salaries must force changes because not enough money is available to continue operating with the same staffing policies.
Through five months, replacements have been called in 315 times to fill 12-hour shifts. As of June 6, firefighters received $211,765 in overtime, already exceeding the $150,000 appropriated for the entire year.
Mayor Jeff Hall said the council should have trusted the recommendations of the fire chief and safety director, who have a combined 50 years of experience.
"I'm just confused," Hall said of the council's decision. "They say it's serious and they table it. If it's iffy, they should still send it on for full council discussion and still have three weeks to collect information. This can't go on."
Blake said Monday was the first public discussion on the overtime issue.
"This is the beginning of a discussion," Blake said. "I really appreciate we're having a public, transparent discussion on this. I just don't feel I have the information tonight to make a decision on this."
Fire Chief Pat Connor told the council that he wanted their support to begin doing the considerable research necessary to determine whether part-time firefighters would be a workable solution. He said he would return to the council with the results of his research.
"It's yet to be determined if part-time firefighters would be a benefit for Newark," Connor said. "It's something I'm willing to look into. Part-time firefighters are a cost-saving measure for a lot of other fire departments."
David McElfresh, president of Newark's International Association of Firefighters Local 109, said the administration was not taking the correct approach to the problem, based on an opinion from the State Employment Relations Board.
"According to recent SERB ruling, part-time firefighters must be negotiated with the union, and without negotiation, it's an unfair labor practice," McElfresh said.
Replacements are called in for 12-hour shifts and paid overtime when a shift falls below 14 on duty citywide. The department's policy had been to replace firefighters when staffing dropped below 16, but the chief revised the procedure last month because of soaring overtime expenses.
A minimum requirement once mandated at least 19 firefighters be on duty citywide at all times, but the union lost on that issue in the previous contract, leaving no minimum standard in place.
McElfresh said the plan to hire part-time firefighters is about politics and offers little cost-cutting. Part-timers would decrease morale and diminish service, he said.
In his presentation to the Safety Committee, McElfresh compared the department in 2005 and 2014. Calls have increased 20 percent, but staffing decreased 35 percent and response is 35 seconds slower, McElfresh said.
"Studies showed we need 93 to do the job, so it should be no surprise we're having trouble doing it with 71," McElfresh said.
Rolletta said the city should have hired more firefighters to reduce overtime. The department had 76 union members when the contract was approved early in 2014, but now there are 71.
"This city fails to provide the staffing levels this council has budgeted for," Rolletta said.
The department has $100,000 to $150,000 available to hire new firefighters, but it is using the money to pay overtime, Connor said.
"I do not have plans to hire anybody (full time)," Connor said. "We'd like to hire full-time firefighters, but that takes money away from overtime."
The cost to hire one new firefighter, including salary and benefits, is $67,287, Connor said. It would take nine to 12 new firefighters to eliminate the overtime costs, he said.
A retired city firefighter, John Freas, suggested the council change the appropriation of EMS billing and give all of it to the fire department, instead of the current 40 percent.
Marmie said the change to EMS billing would only move the problem to the general fund, which receives 60 percent.
"Move EMS money and you have a huge deficit in the general fund," Marmie said. "It's just going to be a shell game. We only have so much money."
The Personnel Committee also voted 3-2 to table an ordinance creating three part-time life safety inspector positions, but it voted 4-1 to eliminate one captain position through attrition, when a position becomes vacant.
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