October 3, 2023
Fire Department
DATE: October 3, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Angel Montoya, Fire Chief
Subject:
18-Month Plan to Eliminate Mandatory Overtime within
the Richmond Fire Department
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The City Manager will have Finance provide an assessment on recommendations.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Due to staffing shortages, Fire Department personnel
have been mandated to work overtime due to multi-
faceted factors and minimum staffing requirements. The
department has developed a plan to curtail the need for mandatory overtime within the next 18 months.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE a report from the Richmond Fire Department to
reduce mandatory overtime within the next 18 months –
Fire Department (Chief Angel Montoya 510-307-8041).
DISCUSSION:
Richmond Fire Department
Line personnel’s overtime and mandatory overtime has been a matter of concern within the department. As early as the beginning of 2022, the department identified measures to address and reduce overtime. Specifically, the department advocated for an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) contract and initiated acting certification lists.
AGENDA
REPORT
October 3, 2023
However, an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) contract was never entered and the acting certification list only temporarily reduced the mandatory overtime at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Due to factors such as injury leaves and vacancies, the department’s mandatory overtime has increased over the past months in order to meet minimum staffing requirements.
The Fire Department is diligently working on solutions to curtail mandatory overtime across all ranks. However, due to the minimum staffing requirement, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard of a “Rapid Intervention Crew,” vacancies, and the lack of an active Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) contract, it would be impossible to eliminate the department’s mandatory overtime. The following are some of the proposed resolutions to reduce mandatory overtime: (a) fill vacancies as soon as possible, (b) shift balancing and overtime in rank, (c) actively maintain acting certification lists, and (d) monthly overtime tracking. In addition, the department is working in conjunction with Human Resources on several recruitment and promotional efforts to fill vacant positions. The department anticipates that by filling the vacant positions, mandatory overtime on impacted ranks will be reduced. Lastly, a reduction in overtime will be fiscally advantageous to the fire department.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None