Akron Beacon Journal
NORTON, Ohio — The city’s fire chief said that by increasing his full-time staff, Norton actually can save money and stay within its budget for next year.
Fire Chief Mike Schultz wants to hire eight full-time firefighters from the current pool of 28 part-time firefighters, which will cut down overtime and ease the constant struggle to fill shifts. The majority of firefighters are part-timers. There are only two full-time fire/paramedics plus the fire chief.
The part-timers “are well-trained firemen, but they have full-time obligations — so we are at the mercy of their full-time employer,” Schultz said. “If the part-time firefighters get held up on their full-time job, they can’t tell their full-time employer that they need to leave.”
He said out of those 28 part-timers, 13 are full-time firefighters somewhere else and the rest either work a full-time job doing something completely different or have two or three part-time firefighter jobs.
“We need more full-timers to get that stability every day,” he said. “So now you’re going to get those guys whom you’ve had for a few years working for you and you know their work ethic. And this is where their primary employment is going to be; they will be committed to Norton first.”
Schultz said the department is also getting busier, with an increase of 14 percent in emergency medical service calls over the same period last year.
He said the proposal will allow for three full-time and three part-time firefighters on each shift.
“It’s actually going to save us money,” Schultz said.
City Finance Director Ron Messner estimated the savings at $100,000 a year.
He said the amount of overtime spent this year through October has already cost $105,000.
“There are other benefits in hiring full-time firefighters from those who already work for Norton. There are no training costs or uniform costs,” said Messner. “It’s not costing any more money and there will be better coverage on the shifts because we’re not solely dependent on part-timers.”
He said having a good fire department also cuts down medical costs for residents and keeps their home insurance at a reasonable rate.
The fire department is mostly financed through the fire levy that passed in 2012. It was a 4.6 mill, four-year levy for fire and EMS. It generates $1.13 million annually for the department. It replaced four levies already on the books; two for fire and two for EMS.
It took three attempts by Norton officials to get a fire/EMS levy passed. Significant cuts in staffing were made before it passed, including the layoffs of nine firefighters and EMS calls turned over to a private ambulance service after 10 p.m. because of staffing issues.
“We are well within our levy funds,” Schmidt said. “The goal was to finish out the levy next year within budget, and then we will be up for renewal in 2016. We don’t want to ask for extra funds; we just want to renew what we have — which will cover wages and benefits.”
Messner said the levy pays for payroll and operational expenses. On the capital side $766,000 is budgeted for a new ambulance and a firetruck with the help of FEMA funds.
City Council will vote on the budget proposal Dec. 8.
———
©2014 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)