Council Democrats get support on fire staffing

NEWARK – Newark residents at a meeting called by council Democrats on Thursday night said they do not support hiring part-time firefighters as a solution to the staffing and overtime problems facing the Newark Division of Fire.

“To even discuss hiring part-time is blowing money,” said Donna Gibson, a resident of Newark who works for Mental Health America. “They are looking for a career.”

Gibson and several other Newark residents voiced concerns that part-time workers would be looking to leave for full-time positions elsewhere. Many at the meeting also debated the quality of care of part-time workers versus hiring firefighters wanting to make a home and career in Newark.

“I see going to part-time as a decrease in service,” said David Greene, another Newark resident. “This type of service is not a negotiable discussion.”

The meeting at the Licking County Main Library was organized by Democratic Newark City Councilman Jeremy Blake, who welcomed public comments on possible solutions to the staffing and overtime problems facing the division of fire. Only one council Republican attended.

At the beginning of 2015, the division had $150,000 to spend on overtime for the year. It was allocated another $100,000, but as of July 24, only $31,313.54 is left to pay for overtime for the rest of the year, Blake said.

Newark fire staffing is down to 14 personnel daily citywide from the previously required 16 in an attempt to limit overtime pay. That reduction in force has led to the browning out of the East End station.

“Newark is a town with a lot of demands on safety,” said Ron Butcher, a Newark resident. “Having only 14 men on duty every day is “not safe by any standard.”

Butcher said hiring firefighters part-time would be a selfish decision for the city, as it would be asking them to risk their lives without any promise of pension benefits or the protection full-time pay offers.

The reduction in force to 14 per day also was done in an attempt to limit the amount being spent on overtime each month, and Fire Chief Pat Connor said a look at recent months shows that strategy has been working.

Connor said one of the main reasons the division is struggling with staffing and overtime pay is a lack of funding. It is operating with $1.3 million less than it did in 2010, he said.

“As a fire chief in this town, I want all full-time people. There are only so many tax dollars,” Connor said.

Hiring part-time workers is more cost efficient, he said.

Many people offered possible solutions to saving money within the city to help pay for the fire division’s needs. Ideas included a levy campaign, eliminating tax credits for people who live in Newark but work outside the city limits, and more aggressive emergency medical service billing.

The recently acquired Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant of $369,265 from the Department of Homeland Security would cover the costs of three more firefighters, Connor said. He said he is working as fast as he can to fill those positions to help reduce the overtime needed.

On Aug. 10, the discussion of the Newark Division of Fire will return to council chambers in a Personnel Committee meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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