Newark's East End fire station open one in four days

• Overtime in the Newark Fire Department was $92,447 through six months. The 2016 budget is $250,000.
• The police department had the most overtime in the city at $152,878. Its 2016 budget is $325,000.

NEWARK – On most days, the Newark Fire Department does not have enough firefighters on duty to keep all its vehicles and stations in service.

The department closed the East End Station 73 percent of the time during the first half of the year and occasionally took an emergency vehicle out of service at the West End Station to cut overtime costs.

The strategy helped reduce overtime, which totaled $92,447 through six months. In 2015, the department spent $208,923 on overtime through mid-June, before a change in policy substantially cut costs. The overtime budget for this year is $250,000.

"It's difficult because there are a lot of needs and not enough money to fill the needs," Chief Pat Connor said. "It's an expensive endeavor to have a fire department. There's not enough (money) to continue that level of service, and we want to continue that level of service."

The department, no longer required to have a minimum staffing level, puts personnel at the East End Station when at least 18 firefighters are on duty citywide. Calling in firefighters means overtime pay for those called in to work.

Connor, who moved into the leadership job in February 2015, established a policy to call in firefighters when manpower falls below 14 on duty. When staffing is at 15, there are not enough firefighters at the West End Station to keep all its emergency vehicles in service at one time. When 16 are available, three of the city's four stations are fully staffed.

The chief said he has sometimes called in a replacement to boost staffing from 15 to 16, but that is when the budget allows for it.

"We had a significant amount of firefighter injuries last year and sick leave this year," Connor said. "Several were on-duty related and caused some overtime to replace them. We don't have the staff to replace them when they're gone."

Sick leave usage has increased 13 percent this year, the chief said. In June, an average of 8.2 firefighters were off per day for vacation, illness, injury, family leave or other days off.

David McElfresh, president of Newark's International Association of Firefighters Local 109, said the department starts the day with fewer firefighters on duty than in the past.

Four firefighters are off every day on unpaid Kelly Days, two more on vacation each day and one on each shift off for extended injury or medical leave, McElfresh said, leaving maybe one a day on unscheduled leave.

"As we continue to be forced to do more with less our members are getting injured on the job, and stress and illness comes with that as well," McElfresh said.

"I am very tired of the accusation from some, that our members are not willing to come to work or take time off they are not entitled to. I truly don’t believe we have an absence problem, it is just that with such low staffing it is more noticeable."

City Council voted on Monday to place a 0.25 percent income tax increase on the Nov. 8 ballot, for police and fire capital improvement needs and road improvements. All department vehicles are at least 10 years old, with average mileage about 100,000, so maintenance costs are high.

The city has never laid off a firefighter, Connor said, but there are few places to cut the budget other than salaries and benefits for the 76 firefighters in the department.

"The cost of doing business is significantly overrunning revenue, so we need alternate funding," Connor said. "We're simply out of options. We'll simply let the voters decide what they want to do."

Council voted 6-5 to defeat a larger tax increase which would also provide funds to hire more firefighters. Councilman Jeremy Blake, D-2nd Ward, said he expects council will consider legislation later this year on adding part-time firefighters, which the union opposes.

McElfresh has opposed closing the East End Station, which happened more frequently after Connor changed the staffing policy midway though 2015. Previously, replacements were called in when staffing dropped under 16.

"We are opposed to any cuts to safety of our citizens, and certainly that includes those living in the East End," McElfresh said. "Anytime you close a station you also place an additional burden on the remaining open stations and areas of the city, because somebody still has to cover that area.

"I know there is a lot of talk that we are doing more with less and though that is certainly true, we are also at a point where we are doing less with less. There is only so much you can do with limited resources."

Connor said closing the East End Station made the most sense because it handles only 9 percent of the fire runs in the city. He said they have not seen any dramatic increase in response times as a result of the station closure.

Overtime costs for all city departments in the first half of the year were $319,846, with $278,131 in general fund areas. The police department had the most at $152,878, but is on pace to end the year under its 2016 overtime budget of $325,000.

Chief Barry Connell said some of the overtime budget was used by officers filling in for dispatchers in the final months of city police dispatching, before that service moved to the county's 911 Center.

"So, it gives an unfair picture of what we're spending for policing," Connell said. "I think we're on track, compared to previous years. It's unpredictable. If we have catastrophic events, we have overtime."

There are 71 uniformed police officers, with two expected to retire this year, and two expected to be hired, the chief said. The police department spent $310,000 last year on overtime.

The fire department, once mandated to have at least 19 on duty at all times, saw its overtime spending reach $957,440 in 2007, then drop to $109,194 in 2012, when the department had 80 firefighters. In 2010, when the department had 85 firefighters, overtime was $193,599.

McElfresh said the staffing, response and management of personnel has not improved in the department since last year.

"We don't always see eye-to-eye with the chief," McElfresh said. "The station closures, cross staffing and multiple contractual issues make it tough, but despite that our guys remain dedicated to the safety of our great city.

Connor's first year as chief was a memorable one, including opening a new downtown station, a city council vote against part-time firefighters, a city election, the decision on when to close the East End Station, and a fire at his own residence.

"It's a very challenging job," Connor said. "I'm proud to be fire chief in the city of Newark. I'm very proud of the work we do here. We have a very large call volume and always answer the call. I believe we're second to none."

kmallett@newark

advocate.com

740-328-8545

Twitter: @kmallett1958

Overtime costs

Following are overtime costs that exceeded $1,000 in City of Newark departments during the first six months of the year.

Police uniform: $152,878

Fire uniform: $92,447

Income tax: $12,219

Water treatment plant: $12,136

WWTP sewer plant: $10,383

Parks/cemetery: $8,925

Police non-uniform: $8,340

Street/traffic: $7,996

Water distribution: $4,583

WWTP environmental lab: $2,591

Sewer maintenance: $1,748

Adult probation: $1,362

Water administration: $1,166