By Jo C. Goode
The Herald News
FALL RIVER, Mass. — City paramedics have signed a three-year contract in what Mayor Jasiel Correia II’s administration says is an initial step to one day merge the fire and EMS departments.
“We are very pleased with the cooperation that we received from EMS regarding the development and ultimate approval of the contract,” said City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros. “This is allowing the city to move one step closer to the creation of a dual paramedic/firefighter position and from the very beginning this dual role was seen as a key step in the city’s ability to absorb the SAFER funded positions currently on the fire side.”
The fire department was awarded a $2.06 million SAFER grant that added 10 new firefighters under former Mayor Sam Sutter in July 2015. The grant expires the end of June 2018.
At the beginning of the grant, Viveiros said the firefighters union agreed that the new recruits would earn an EMT basic certification within one year as condition of their employment.
The short-term goal is to have the ability to assign the EMT basic certified firefighters on city rescue trucks after an available shift is offered to EMS staff. Viveiros said an EMS supervisor would be assigned to work on the rescue with the certified firefighter.
“While we have additional negotiations to complete with the fire union, thus far it’s been a truly cooperative venture between both the fire department and EMS,” said Viveiros.
The contract does not impact the current fiscal year budget. However, in an effort to create parity between the city’s paramedics and firefighters, there are significant step and supervisor increases in the next fiscal year budget.
Beginning July 1, first step EMT paramedics will receive a 9.7 percent increase; second step workers will see an 8.5 percent increase and third step staff will get a 5.8 percent increase. There are no increases in step four and five.
In addition, on July 1, EMS lieutenants, supervisors and training supervisors (captains) and deputy directors will also receive a 7.5 percent increase.
Raising pay scales of rescue staff and that of firefighters salaries were a “key component in the negotiations,” Viveiros said.
“Those increases that you’re seeing allow us to establish parity in EMS personnel,” Viveiros said. " ... Principally because you have EMS personnel who are currently all paramedics so they are all at the top level of their certification.”
The contract, she said, now allows those EMT basic certified firefighters to be assigned as city rescue crews.
EMS Director Timothy Oliveira said the contract agreement with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 1202 affects the 37 paramedics employed by the EMS department.
Looking statewide and at nearby communities like Somerset and Tiverton, Oliveira said, fire departments provide both fire suppression and ambulance services.
However, larger communities like Fall River continue to separate the divisions.
With the first steps toward a merger underway, Oliveira said one day the city could see a combined fire suppression/rescue company that will reduce costs to operate fire and rescue, including overtime expenses.
“Down the road there would absolutely be a cost savings,” Oliveira said.
Currently the EMS department is funded through its enterprise fund.
Copyright 2016 The Herald News