WESTFIELD – The ability of the city’s fire department to maintain fire and emergency protection to the city is threatened by a shortage of able-bodied firefighters – and funds to pay overtime to the firefighters who have to cover for their absent brethren.
City Fire Chief Mary Regan said yesterday in a news release, that the department’s overtime funds are in danger of being totally depleted by January. She said that she has requested $150,000 to replenish the overtime account but she said that, even if that additional funding is provided, the overtime account will probably need an additional influx before the end of the fiscal year in July.
Regan explained in a subsequent interview that the problem is due to a personnel shortage on two fronts.
Not only are there six vacancies on the fire department roster, there are currently seven firefighters absent due to long-term illness or injury.
With the shortage of firefighters, Regan said that she has transferred personnel between the department’s four duty groups but still has only been able to staff each group with 15 firefighters, the bare minimum.
Minimum staffing does not allow any leeway for absences when firefighters use vacation time, personal days or are absent for any other reason.
“If anyone doesn’t come to work, it’s overtime” she said.
Regan said that the budget which went into effect in July provided for three additional positions but said that the department has not been able to fill the new slots.
In addition to the three new positions waiting to be filled, Regan said that there are three openings due to attrition.
She said that the last civil service list has been exhausted of viable candidates and the fire commission has been waiting for a new list which has been delayed.
She said that although a new list was apparently certified Dec. 2, it has not been received by the city’s personnel department.
The civil service list has changed and now includes all firefighters in the Commonwealth who have passed the civil service exam so that list will have to winnowed down to include only candidates who are willing to work in Westfield.
Even if the commission had a list of viable candidates in hand, the problem would not be solved because of the time it takes to interview, consider, perform background checks and hire firefighters.
“From interview night to seeing firefighters come in the door for orientation, it’s six to eight weeks” she said.
The other half of the personnel shortage is from firefighters who are absent for medical issues.
“Not only do I have these six open positions, I’ve got seven (firefighters) out long term” due to injuries and illnesses,” she said.
Most of the absences are not due to on-the-job injuries but nonetheless the seven firefighters are not available for duty and the overtime costs needed to fill the vacancies are depleting the budget rapidly.
“I have about two to two and a half pay periods at the current rate,” she said. “I don’t see any reason why things are getting better in the near future.”
She said if the overtime account is not replenished she will have to start taking apparatus offline to meet the minimum staffing levels required.
Regan said that probably she would have to close Station Two and take Engine Two, which provides fire protection from the Little River fire substation, out of service.
If that happens, she said, “it would absolutely result in a delayed response if all calls from the Station Two area have to come from headquarters” she said.
To forestall a curtailment in services, Regan said, she submitted a request for $150,000 in additional funding to Mayor Daniel M. Knapik who, in turn, asked the city council for the funds.
Regan said that the request was referred to the council’s Finance Committee.
“I’m hopeful that the finance committee will be asking to talk to me so I can explain the situation,” she said.
She said that not all of the requested funds will have to come from the city’s general funds since she has calculated that the projected overtime costs required for the ambulance services the firefighters provide, $82,500, can came from the ambulance revenue account. The Finance Committee will have to find only $67,500 elsewhere.
She warns that additional money will probably not fund the department’s overtime requirements for the rest of the fiscal year.
“There’s a good chance that I’m probably going to have to come back for more,” she said.
