By Dave Wedge
The Boston Herald
BOSTON — A select club of firefighters and EMTs are monopolizing plum jobs on Massachusetts movie sets, cutting out jakes and medics statewide and raising questions about how the lucrative gigs are doled out in the taxpayer-subsidized movie biz.
“The whole deal stinks,” said state Rep. Steven D’Amico (D-Seekonk), a vocal critic of the state’s film industry tax breaks. “It points to the fact that we need more transparency. Their books are not open, so we can’t see how the money is spent and who’s benefiting. These things, when we find out about them, are accidents.”
While the state shells out $100 million a year for Hollywood shoots, coveted $50-an-hour “set medic” jobs go to a handful of firefighters — many from Boston — as well as EMTs moonlighting for the stagehands union, the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 481.
The Herald review of the sweetheart side jobs comes on the heels of a $74 million pay-raise bonanza for Hub jakes and has other lifesavers up in arms.
“EMTs aren’t independent contractors,” said Jim Gambone, a labor representative for the Worcester-based National Emergency Medical Services Association. “These (jobs) should go to the municipalities.”
There are roughly 25 IATSE medics, including several Boston firefighters, a Peabody jake who’s also a part-time actor and a top assistant to Treasurer Tim Cahill.
One of the Boston firefighters, $81,000-a-year “fire alarm operator” Kenneth Fitzgibbon, has even started up his own full-service EMT company called Hollywood Rescue. Fitzgibbon has worked on dozens of movies — including the Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz thriller “Knight and Day,” and the Adam Sandler-Chris Rock comedy “Grown Ups” — in addition to a slew of TV shows, documentaries and commercials.
Fitzgibbon, who recently wrapped work on the CBS pilot “Boston’s Finest,” said he does the set medic gigs on his “days off” but declined further comment.
Jim MacDonald, a $94,000-a-year assistant state treasurer who moonlights as an EMT, has worked on at least 29 movies since 1999, including five in 2009. “If I take a vacation day, that’s my choice, and I do very infrequently work on the set, usually on a Saturday or a Sunday,” said MacDonald, who most recently worked on “Shutter Island.”
As for EMTs and firefighters upset about being cut out of the plum movie gigs, MacDonald said: “Anyone who wants to join (the stage hands union) can join.”
State and city rules allow employees to work second jobs on personal time, so long as it doesn’t violate ethics laws.
IATSE rules call for movie producers to hire union medics to provide first aid rather than local firefighters or EMS workers. There are no state laws requiring medics on movie shoots, but when pyrotechnics or dangerous stunts are involved, producers may be required to hire a local ambulance or fire detail, officials said.
Boston EMS has filed a complaint with the state, claiming the set medics violate laws barring EMT freelancers.
“Everyone is scratching their heads saying, ‘How are they doing this?’ ” Boston EMS union president Jamie Orsino said.
Local 481 business manager Chris O’Donnell said licensed paramedics can join the union through an application process.
“These are first aid employees that are hired directly by the production companies and are working under a collective-bargaining agreement that has been in place for 20 years nationally,” he said.
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