This report is intended for the internal use of Stockton Fire Department, and may not be provided to, used, or relied upon by any third parties.
Proprietary & Confidential
FINAL REPORT
City of Stockton
FIRE DEPARTMENT OVERTIME STUDY
May 25, 2023
Moss Adams LLP
999 Third Avenue, Suite 2800
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 302-6500
Attachment A
Fire Department Overtime Study
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 1
A. Introduction 1
B. Summary of Observations and Recommendations 1
Introduction 3
A. Background 3
B. Scope 3
C. Methodology 4
Commendations 5
Observations and Recommendations 6
A. Overtime Usage 6
B. Recruitment and Retention 14
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Stockton (the City) engaged its internal auditor, Moss Adams LLP (Moss Adams) to conduct an independent assessment of overtime usage in the Stockton Fire Department (SFD, the Department) to determine the reasons for increased overtime and identify potential reduction opportunities. The goals of the assessment were to:
• Document overtime usage for the past five fiscal years (FY 2018 through 2022) • Assess the drivers of overtime and the effectiveness of strategies to contain overtime • Identify opportunities for reducing overtime expenditures based on industry best practices, with a par
ticular emphasis on employee recruitment and retention
Overtime Usage
1 Observation Ov ertime expenditures for fire suppression staff increased by about $1.2 million between FY18 and FY22. Vacancies were the primary reason for increased overtime in FY21 and FY22, followed by vacation leave, leave related to worker’s compensation claims, sick leave, and training (available data on the drivers of overtime was limited prior to FY21).
Recommendations A. The City and SFD should seek additional funding for suppression positions to align staffing levels with industry standards, right-size workloads, allow SFD to maintain a consistent relief pool, and reduce the need for mandatory overtime.
B. Explore strategies to reduce the use of sick leave, such as by developing City-specific incentives to retain a baseline balance in the event of injury or other urgent needs.
C. To mitigate employee burnout, continue exploring opportunities to reduce the workload on suppression staff by dispatching calls to the appropriate response mechanism depending on the priority level and community need and alleviating ancillary duties.
D. Continue improving data entry and tracking related to overtime reasons to enable better data analysis and decision-making.
2 Observation Whi le mandatory overtime exists at all levels, there is an increasing risk of mandatory overtime for senior and specialized positions, including for engineers, captains, and paramedics.
Recommendations A. Implement strategies to prepare and encourage staff to promote and specialize when eligible.
B. Establish automated data systems and dashboards to effectively monitor overtime trends by level and specialty.
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Recruitment and Retention
3 Observation Lik e other fire departments, SFD has struggled to recruit firefighters and fill vacancies. As noted in Observation 1, vacancies are a significant driver of overtime.
Recommendations A. The City and SFD should continue to allocate dedicated funding to fire department recruitment efforts and invest in a dedicated recruitment position to improve recruitment efforts.
B. Develop a formal recruitment strategy that outlines specific steps for attracting and recruiting qualified personnel, including targeted recruitment efforts.
C. Improve processes for analyzing recruitment trends, including trends related to process timeliness and recruitment and academy attrition.
D. Conduct a process efficiency review to identify opportunities to streamline the recruitment process.
E. Develop more formalized efforts to assess the success of fire academies and implement improvements based on the results.
F. Continue to regularly analyze compensation packages and explore compensation and benefits improvements to attract and retain employees.
G. Continue efforts to over hire firefighter trainees to account for attrition in the hiring and academy process.
4 Observation Whi le SFD conducts exit interviews when sworn staff leave the Department, results are not consistently collected and documented for trend analysis.
Recommendation SFD, in collaboration with HR, should implement consistent exit interview procedures and conduct a semi-annual analysis to evaluate factors contributing to employee turnover and retention.
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INTRODUCTION
The City operates the SFD to provide fire and emergency medical services to its residents. SFD serves a population of over 300,000 people across an area of about 65 square miles. The Department responds to a wide range of incidents, including fires, medical emergencies, and other hazardous situations. As of FY23, SFD had 193 allocated sworn positions and 46 allocated non- sworn (civilian) positions. Sworn positions include a fire chief, two deputy fire chiefs, nine battalion chiefs, 57 fire captains, 54 firefighter engineers, and 70 firefighters.
Most fire departments operate on a minimum staffing model that defines the number and skills of suppression staff on duty 24/7. SFD has a minimum staffing level of 54 sworn personnel each shift.
This includes the following staffing requirements:
• SFD staffs each of its 13 engine companies 24/7 with one captain, one engineer, and one firefighter. Of the three staff, at least one must be trained as a paramedic, though SFD aims for at least two paramedics. The other staff must be EMTs.
• SFD staffs each of its three truck companies 24/7 with one captain, one engineer, and two firefighters, one of which must be trained as a paramedic while the remaining must be EMTs. • SFD staffs two battalion chiefs 24/7. Battalion chiefs manage day-to-day operations for roughly half of the on-duty truck and engine crews. Battalion chiefs must be EMTs, but all are currently certified as Paramedics.
• SFD staffs one Chief Operator 24/7. Chief Operators provide management support at large emergency scenes and assist with daily staffing and apparatus issues. Chief Operators must be at the engineer level.
Anytime a firefighter is out of work for training, use of leave, vacation, injury or another purpose, another firefighter must backfill that position and will earn overtime. Overtime shifts are primarily filled using a “rank-for-rank” system, meaning positions must be backfilled with personnel within or above the rank of the vacant position. For example, a fire engineer would be allowed to backfill for another fire engineer or firefighter, although they would not be able to fill a vacant captain or battalion chief position.
Open shifts can be filled voluntarily or involuntarily. Involuntary overtime is known as mandatory or forced overtime. Since SFD operates with a fairly lean staffing model and has experienced staffing challenges in recent years, overtime has increased. Overtime is common and required in most fire departments. However, the increased use of overtime, and especially mandatory overtime, can have many negative implications on employee health and safety and Department performance.
The City engaged its internal auditor, Moss Adams to conduct an independent assessment of SFD’s overtime usage to determine the reasons for increased overtime and identify potential reduction opportunities. This study is focused on overtime usage by sworn staff and excludes non- sworn staff.
Sworn staff who serve in a management capacity, including the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chiefs are not eligible for overtime. The goals of the assessment included:
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• Document overtime usage for the past five fiscal years (FY 2018 through 2022) • Assess the drivers of overtime and the effectiveness of strategies to contain overtime • Identify opportunities for reducing overtime expenditures based on industry best practices, with a particular emphasis on employee recruitment and retention
This project consisted of four phases conducted between February 2023 and May 2023.
Phase Phase Description
1 Startup and
O
ngoing
Management
This phase concentrated on comprehensive planning and project management, including identifying employees to interview, identifying documents to review and data to analyze, and establishing methods for communicating ongoing project status and results.
2 Fact- Finding and
Data Collection
This phase included interviews, document review, data analysis, and best practice research.
● Interviews: We conducted interviews with SFD staff to understand the drivers of overtime and the impact of increased overtime on SFD’s workforce and performance.
● Document Review: We reviewed relevant internal documentation including policies and procedures, labor agreements, and organizational charts.
● Data Analysis: We conducted data analysis on SFD’s budget, staffing, vacancies, overtime usage, recruitment, workplace safety incidents, and sick and vacation usage to identify overtime trends, drivers, and impacts. ● Industry Standards: We researched best practices for addressing overtime in the fire service industry, including strategies for optimizing staffing, improving recruitment and retention, and streamlining training programs.
3 Analysis B ased on the information gathered in Phase 2, we evaluated the importance, impact, and scope of our observations to develop recommendations to address overtime utilization at SFD.
4 Reporting W e communicated the results of our analysis with observations and recommendations presented first in a draft report that was reviewed with SFD management to confirm the practicality and relevance of recommendations before finalizing the report.
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COMMENDATIONS
The following is a list of commendations that the Moss Adams team would like to note:
• Creative Problem Solving: SFD has shown a willingness to think outside the box and has implemented various solutions to address overtime challenges, such as pursuing grants , reducing ancillary duties for firefighters, and instituting planned service adjustments. This level of creativity is essential in finding effective solutions to complex problems. • Strong Leadership: SFD leadership demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting employee engagement, team morale, and a positive work environment. Employees in SFD reported confidence in leadership and an understanding of the Department’s constraints. • Dedication to Service: Staff expressed strong dedication to SFD’s mission and overall commitment to serving the City and its residents.
We would like to thank the leadership and staff at SFD for their willingness to assist in this assessment process.
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O BSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Observation Overtime expenditures for fire suppression staff increased by about $1.2 million between FY18 and FY22. Vacancies were the primary reason for increased overtime in FY21 and FY22, followed by vacation leave, leave related to worker’s compensation claims, sick leave, and training (available data on the drivers of overtime was limited prior to FY21).
Recommendation A. The City and SFD should seek additional funding for suppression positions to align staffing levels with industry standards, right-size workloads, allow SFD to maintain a consistent relief pool, and reduce the need for mandatory
overtime.
B. Explore strategies to reduce the use of sick leave, such as by developing City-specific incentives to retain a baseline balance in the event of injury or other urgent needs.
C. To mitigate employee burnout, continue exploring opportunities to reduce the workload on suppression staff by dispatching calls to the appropriate response mechanism depending on the priority level and community need and alleviating ancillary duties.
D. Continue improving data entry and tracking related to overtime reasons to enable better data analysis and decision-making.
Overtime Usage
Historically, SFD relied on overtime as a cost-effective strategy to fill staffing gaps without needing to hire excessive sworn positions. Up to a certain threshold, it is less expensive for California municipalities to pay existing personnel overtime than to pay the additional hiring, compensation, benefits, and training costs for new personnel. Overtime is a common cost-saving strategy and viewed as a component of overall firefighter compensation in fire departments across the country.
However, extensive overtime, especially mandatory or forced overtime, can lead to chronic issues when unaddressed, including impacts on employee health, safety, and service performance.
SFD overtime expenditures increased 23.6% over the past five fiscal years, from about $4.96 million in FY18 to about $6.13 million in FY22. Most of this increase was due to fire suppression overtime expenditures, which increased from about $4.43 million in FY18 to about $5.64 million in FY22 (an increase of about $1.2 million). Overtime expenditures for suppression staff exceeded budgeted amounts by greater than 20% between FY20 and FY22.
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Exhibit 1: Budgeted vs Actual Overtime Expenditures for Fire Suppression SFD has implemented multiple strategies to address high levels of overtime expenditures, including:
• Reducing demands on suppression staff for duties that are not directly related to fire suppression: SFD has shifted fire prevention responsibilities to dedicated fire prevention staff, reduced services for special events, and limited participation in the California Office of Emergency Services' (Cal OES) mutual aid program. By doing so, they have alleviated some of the pressure on suppression staff, allowing them to focus on responding to community needs. • Revising the list of call types for automatic dispatch: SFD has updated the list of call types to which fire suppression staff are automatically dispatched. This change aims to optimize resource allocation and ensure that personnel are dispatched only to incidents that require their specific expertise and training.
• Securing grant-funded firefighter positions: SFD has successfully secured grant-funded firefighter positions to increase the total number of its authorized full-time positions. This initiative has allowed the Department to bolster its staffing without incurring additional financial strain on the city's budget.
While management report these efforts have helped curtail overtime to an extent, SFD continues to grapple with staffing challenges, which exacerbate the need for overtime.
Overtime Drivers
Vacancies and Understaffing
Based on data provided by SFD, vacancies were the primary reason for increased overtime hours in FY21, accounting for at least 20% of overtime hours. Vacancies were also a significant driver of increased overtime hours in FY22, accounting for at least 13% of overtime hours. Available data on the drivers of overtime was limited prior to FY21, so more long-term trends are unclear. Additionally, the data likely underrepresents the impact of vacancies on overtime hours and expenditures. A significant portion of overtime reasons were not coded in the data provided (42% in FY21 and 27% in FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22
Budgeted Expenditures $3.31 $3.50 $3.65 $4.05 $4.15
Actual Expenditures $4.43 $4.19 $4.43 $5.60 $5.64
Overages $1.12 $0.70 $0.78 $1.55 $1.50
$0.00
$0.20
$0.40
$0.60
$0.80
$1.00
$1.20
$1.40
$1.60
$1.80
$0.00
$1.00
$2.00
$3.00
$4.00
$5.00
$6.00
Overages (Millions)
Overtime Expentirues (Millions)
Budgeted Expenditures Actual Expenditures Overages
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FY22). According to staff, this occurs when payroll staff do not know or enter an overtime re ason in the system.
Like other fire departments, SFD has struggled to fill vacancies in recent years, with sworn staff vacancies ranging from about 7% of allocated positions in FY18 to about 16% of allocated positions in FY22. Sworn staff are reportedly leaving SFD for several reasons, including retirement eligibility, higher benefits and pay in nearby cities, and an increasingly high workload. SFD’s risk of continued vacancies is likely to increase since about 32% of current sworn staff will be eligible to retire by 2028 and ongoing employee market challenges are expected to continue.
Exhibit 2: Sworn Staff Vacancy Rate FY18 –FY22
Exhibit 3: Sworn Staff Retirement Eligibility 2023– 2028
In addition to driving overtime, vacancies also contributed to brownouts in 2022. Brownouts occur when fire apparatus or stations are temporarily taken out of service due to insufficient available personnel. Management reported there were 102 planned brownouts between May 1 and 7%
3%
12%
6%
16%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22
2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
# of Sworn Staff Eligible to
Retire 38 43 50 54 57 62
% of Budgeted Sworn Staff
Eligible to Retire 20% 22% 26% 28% 30% 32%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
% Eligible to Retire
# Eligible to Retire
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mid-December 2022. Planned brownouts are expected and prepared for in advance. Brownouts can result in slower response times, reduced service levels, and higher call volumes for engines, which can ultimately compromise employee and public safety.
SFD’s high call volume and chronic understaffing increases the impact of vacancies on workload and overtime. According to Firehouse Magazine’s 2021 National Run Survey, the City has the 65th highest call volume among the 230 fire departments surveyed and the 12th busiest engine. A report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2020 found cities with populations of 250,000 or more had a median rate of 0.83 firefighters per 1,000 people. While the number of firefighters needed per population can vary greatly due to regional needs, infrastructure, and general climate conditions, the City would need a total of 266 firefighters to meet this industry standard for its population of nearly 321,000 residents. SFD’s budgeted allocation in FY22 was 192 firefighters, meaning SFD would need 74 additional firefighters to meet this industry standard. Because SFD also serves residents in four contracted nearby districts, this is an underestimation of the number of firefighters SFD would truly need to meet industry standards. While SFD is unlikely to be able to add 74 additional firefighters, overtime could be significantly reduced if SFD increased staffing levels to some extent. SFD’s level of overtime usage between FY18 and FY22 was equivalent to an average of about 32 to 43 full -time equivalent sworn staff, or around 20% of SFD’s allocated sworn positions each year.
Exhibit 4: Full -Time Equivalency of Overtime Hours
FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22
Total Overtime Hours 99,893 102, 374 94,456 124,505 117,659 Average Full-Time Equivalency
of Overtime Hours*
34 35 32 43 40
Allocated Positions 182 182 182 182 192
% of Allocated Positions 19% 19% 18% 23% 21%
*Based on an expected average of 2,912 annual hours per individual staff member.
Other Main Drivers of Overtime
Apart from vacancies and understaffing, SFD faces other primary drivers of overtime, including vacation time, worker's compensation leave, sick time, and training. Due to elevated vacancy rates, management noted SFD has not been able to maintain an adequate relief pool to cover shifts when staff are on leave or at training, which further increases the need for mandatory overtime.
Based on data provided by SFD, vacation-related overtime hours were the second largest driver of overtime, increasing from about 10% of total overtime hours in FY21 to about 13% in FY22. Worker’s compensation-related overtime hours, sick leave-related overtime hours, and training-related overtime hours were the other primary drivers of overtime, each representing a similar amount of overtime hours.
• Worker’s compensation-related overtime hours increased from about 7% of total overtime hours in FY21 to about 10% in FY22. Worker’s compensation claims nearly doubled between 2017 and 2022, from 56 to 101, respectively.
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• Sick leave-related overtime hours also increased from about 7% of total overtime hours in FY21 to 10% in FY22. Management noted that sick leave usage has generally increased overall, stating that there are no current incentives to retain a sick leave balance for employees hired in the last decade. The California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA), which took effect in January 2013, eliminated the ability of employees hired after December 28, 2012, to convert unused sick leave to service credit. SFD personnel report that this deters personnel that have been hired since PEPRA took effect to maintain sick leave balances, which can be critical if an employee is injured or experiences a significant health event. • Training-related hours decreased from about 8% of total overtime hours in FY21 to 4% in FY22.
As noted above, this analysis on overtime drivers is limited because a significant portion of overtime reasons were not coded in the data provided (42% in FY21 and 27% in FY22). Additionally, 16% more instances of overtime were coded as “Other/Not Listed” in FY22 than in FY21. These limitations mean that these drivers of overtime are likely underrepresented to varying degrees.
Exhibit 5: Drivers of Overtime Hours
*Other includes disaster assignments, leave without pay, light duty, miliary leave, Cal OES deployment, and other/not listed.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
FY21 FY22
Vacancies Vacation Leave
Worker's Compensation Leave Sick Leave
Training Uncoded
Other
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Impacts of Extensive Overtime
The effects of extensive overtime impact not only the well-being of personnel but also the overall performance and financial health of SFD. When firefighters are consistently subjected to high levels of stress and long working hours due to excessive mandatory overtime, they become more susceptible to burnout, injuries, and other adverse consequences.
Management stated in interviews that extensive mandatory overtime has had visible effects on staff morale, noting perceived increases in leave, burnout, general frustration, and impacts on suppression employees’ personal lives. Staff have reportedly relied on shift trades or targeted scheduling to avoid mandatory overtime assignments on holidays, school breaks, and weekends.
In addition to negative effects on personnel, extensive overtime can impact Department performance.
Although SFD does not consistently monitor response times, one such consequence is the potential for longer response times. Additionally, there have been increased brownouts as noted above, which are likely to increase the amount of time it takes to respond to a call. Delays in responding to emergency situations can, in turn, affect the Department's ability to effectively serve the community.
Despite facing these challenges, SFD leadership and personnel remains unwavering in its commitment to providing high-quality service to the community.
Furthermore, the reliance on extensive overtime, initially perceived as a cost-saving measure, can eventually result in increased financial burdens for SFD. The hidden costs associated with excessive overtime can be substantial and far-reaching, affecting various aspects of the Department's operations. For example, increased employee turnover, fueled by dissatisfaction with the work environment, can lead to additional recruitment and training expenses. Declining team morale, another consequence of extensive overtime, can negatively impact productivity and overall efficiency within the Department. The potential for workplace injuries, which may be exacerbated by fatigue and stress resulting from excessive overtime, can lead to increased workers' compensation claims and associated expenses.
Recommendations
The City and SFD should take proactive measures to address the challenges associated with extensive overtime, understaffing, and increased workloads. These complex challenges cannot be solved easily or with one solution. Instead, multiple solutions are required, such as the following:
• The City and SFD should seek additional funding for suppression positions to align staffing levels with industry standards, right-size workloads, and reduce the need for mandatory overtime. This may involve investing in additional grant opportunities and exploring other funding sources, such as Measure A funds, to support fire suppression.
• Explore strategies to reduce the use of sick leave by developing City-specific incentives. Several incentive-based strategies can be considered to reduce unneeded sick leave usage, such as counting unused sick leave toward years of service for retirement eligibility, converting unused sick leave to vacation time, or allowing a limited number of sick hours to be converted to cash each year.
• Continue to explore opportunities to reduce the workload on suppression staff. As noted above, SFD updated the list of call types to which fire suppression staff are automatically dispatched, which allows the Department to dispatch calls to the appropriate response mechanism depending on the priority level and community need. This could mean dispatching ambulances to some medical calls instead of deploying larger fire equipment as the standard response. SFD has also Attachment A
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reduced demands on suppression staff for duties that are not directly related to fire suppression.
SFD should continue these efforts to alleviate ancillary duties for suppression staff to reduce suppression staff workloads and allow them time to focus on responding to community needs . • Improve consistency in data entry and tracking related to overtime reasons to enable better data analysis and decision-making. This includes ensuring that payroll staff consistently and accurately code overtime reasons in the system and reviewing overtime trends on a regularly basis, such as quarterly. This improvement can help the Department identify trends and patterns, allowing for more informed decisions on managing overtime and addressing challenges.
2. Observation While mandatory overtime exists at all levels, there is an increasing risk of mandatory overtime for senior and specialized positions, including for engineers, captains, and paramedics.
Recommendation A. Implement strategies to prepare and encourage staff to promote and specialize when eligible.
B. Establish automated data systems and dashboards to effectively monitor overtime trends by level and specialty.
Overtime by Level
SFD faced overtime challenges across all levels between FY18 and FY22. In FY22, overtime usage was highest at the firefighter level, though overtime at this level has decreased about 2% since FY18.
The Department implemented several strategies to reduce overtime at the firefighter level. These include decreasing services for special events and mutual aid to reduce demands on firefighter time and increasing the number of annual fire academies from one to two to increase overall firefighter staffing.
Overtime usage increased at the captain level by about 63% between FY18 and FY22 and increased about 10% at the engineer level. There are several potential reasons for these increases:
• The City’s post-bankruptcy hiring freeze resulted in gaps in firefighters’ years of experience.
While the Department has recently increased hiring, it takes time for firefighters to gain the appropriate level of experience to promote (e.g., two years for engineers and five years for captains).
• Some staff may be hesitant to be promoted, potentially due to concerns about taking on more work and responsibility, though SFD actively explores creative ways to encourage promotions. • Captains and engineers are on the long-time injury list, with fewer allocated and actual positions at these higher levels.
• SFD hires at either the entry firefighter level or accepts lateral transfers at the firefighter level but does not accept lateral transfers at other levels.
The risk of continuing elevated overtime for senior level positions is exacerbated by SFD’s aging workforce and high levels of retirement eligibility mentioned above.
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Exhibit 6: Overtime Hours by Level
Overtime by Specialty
Overtime hours are also increasing for staff with certain specialties, including staff with Paramedic and Hazardous Materials (HazMat) specialties. Like other California municipalities, SFD faces a shortage of paramedics, leading to an increase in paramedic overtime expenditures. Paramedic overtime hours increased about 7% between FY18 and FY22. Although efforts were made to increase the number of paramedics through strategies such as grants and paramedic tuition reimbursement, management reported there has been a net loss of one paramedic each year over the past three years. Overtime hours have also increased for those with the HazMat specialty by about 13% between FY18 and FY22. Management noted that they were unable to follow recommended guidelines of seven HazMat certified staff per shift due to insufficient HazMat staffing.
A potential consequence of the increased mandatory overtime for paramedics and H azMat specialists is the possible reluctance of staff members to seek these specialty certifications. Staff may be concerned about the potential for increased workload and mandatory overtime if they obtain such certifications. This reluctance could further exacerbate staffing shortages in these specialties, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.
Recommendations
SFD should implement strategies to prepare and encourage staff to promote and specialize when eligible, including:
• Continue targeted training and succession planning efforts. SFD should continue to develop and formalize methods to identify and fill potential gaps in succession, determine strategies for the continued development and advancement of staff, and continue to provide staff wit h promotional and specialty training as appropriate. This approach not only cultivates a culture of professional FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22
Blank 1,918 2,120 1,139 2,957 4,058
Fire Fighter 41,901 49,477 39,536 49,385 41,083
Engineer 30,876 24,136 29,648 34,968 34,037
Captain 20,263 21,797 20,310 33,755 33,098
Battalion Chief 4,935 4,844 3,823 3,441 5,384
1,000
21,000
41,000
61,000
81,000
101,000
121,000
141,000
Overtime Hours
Battalion Chief Captain Engineer Fire Fighter Blank
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development but also contributes to building a robust, well-rounded workforce that is thoroughly equipped to handle the diverse challenges of their roles. Furthermore, implementing mentorship programs and peer-to-peer learning opportunities can foster an environment of knowledge- sharing and collaboration, allowing suppression staff to learn from one another's experiences and expertise.
• Evaluate any potential disincentives that may discourage members from pursuing promotions or specialties. SFD could determine potential disincentives through a staff survey. Strategies should be implemented to mitigate any identified disincentives. • Encourage sign-ups for promotional exams by increasing awareness and visibility of senior positions and their benefits. SFD can achieve this through targeted advertising and promoting the existing benefits of higher positions, such as increased salary and opportunities for career development and advancement. By promoting these benefits and creating a more attractive pathway for career progression, SFD can incentivize experienced personnel to sign up for promotional exams and fill higher roles within the Department as they become eligible. • Continue to communicate the value of becoming a paramedic and offering tuition assistance to encourage more staff to pursue this career path and reduce the shortage of paramedics.
SFD should also establish automated data systems and dashboards to monitor overtime trends by level and specialty more effectively. By establishing a data-driven approach to monitoring overtime expenditures and trends, the Department can identify potential areas of concern and take proactive measures to address them before they become larger issues. This can come in the form of automated data collection, regular reporting, and consistently analyzing overtime trends to inform decision-making and resource allocation.
3. Observation Like other fire departments, SFD has struggled to recruit firefighters and fill vacancies. As noted in Observation 1, vacancies are a significant driver of overtime.
Recommendation
The City and SFD should continue to allocate dedicated funding to fire department recruitment efforts and invest in a dedicated recruitment position to improve recruitment efforts.
Develop a formal recruitment strategy that outlines specific steps for attracting and recruiting qualified personnel, including targeted recruitment efforts.
Improve processes for analyzing recruitment trends, including trends related to process timeliness and recruitment and academy attrition.
Conduct a process efficiency review to identify opportunities to streamline the recruitment process.
Develop more formalized efforts to assess the success of fire academies and implement improvements based on the results.
Continue to regularly analyze compensation packages and explore compensation and benefits improvements to attract and retain employees.
Continue efforts to over hire firefighter trainees to account for attrition in the hiring and academy process.
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Like other fire departments, SFD has struggled to recruit firefighters and fill vacancies. SFD faces several recruitment challenges that may impact its ability to attract and retain a strong and dedicated workforce. These challenges include a lack of dedicated staff for recruitment, non-competitive pay and benefits, a lengthy recruitment process, and a high rate of trainees not completing the fire academy.
SFD has implemented multiple strategies to address recruitment challenges, including hosting local open houses, increasing the number of fire academies from one to two annually to quickly bring in more staff, and over-hiring firefighter trainees to account for attrition in the academy process.
Additionally, the City recently allocated funding specifically for SFD recruitment efforts. However, SFD does not currently have staff dedicated to recruitment. Instead, recruitment efforts are led by an internal committee of suppression staff who are already overburdened with their regular duties. This may limit the Department's ability to recruit qualified candidates effectively and efficiently.
Additionally, SFD's pay, and benefits are not competitive with other agencies in the region, such as Manteca, Modesto, and Oakland, which may discourage potential candidates from applying and increase turnover. Management noted verified instances where trainees left the D epartment for higher compensation at other agencies. Also, while data on the timeliness of SFD's recruitment process was not available, management reported that the process can take a long time. This lengthy process has resulted in some applicants looking for employment elsewhere, with reported cases where some applicants accepted job offers from other agencies before SFD could formally send job offers. Recruitment processes understandably include background and testing requirements that can make the process take longer. While some efforts to improve recruitment processes have been implemented, there are opportunities to more comprehensively review the efficiency of the recruitment process to identify improvements.
Recruitment challenges are exacerbated by firefighter trainees routinely not completing the fire academy, either by choice or due to performance issues. In FY21, 40% of firefighter trainees did not complete the fire academy, while in FY22, 19% did not complete the fire academy. About half of these trainees in FY21 and FY22 did not graduate due to performance. Management reported higher failure rates for shorter academies for lateral transfers, in which trainees have less time to learn, and for larger academies, which have higher instructor to trainee ratios and trainees have fewer repetitions for training activities.
Without effective recruitment and retention strategies and processes, SFD risks continued challenges with vacancies and staff burnout. These risks may be intensified by the pending retirements previously mentioned.
Recommendations
The City and SFD should continue to allocate dedicated funding to fire department recruitment efforts and invest in a dedicated recruitment position to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of attracting and hiring qualified personnel. Additionally, SFD should take the following steps to improve its recruitment and retention efforts:
• Develop a formal recruitment strategy that outlines specific steps for attracting and recruiting qualified personnel, including targeted recruitment efforts. Best practice strategies include expanding digital-based recruiting, implementing targeted advertising campaigns, engaging in outreach efforts to underrepresented communities, and developing partnerships with local non- profits.
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• Improve processes for analyzing recruitment trends. To achieve this SFD should identify which metrics to track, such as metrics related to process timeliness and recruitment and academy attrition, establish consistent methods for tracking the identified metrics, and regularly review and analyze the results. By closely monitoring recruitment trends, SFD can identify areas of concern or potential improvements and make data-driven decisions that enhance the overall effectiveness and efficiency of their recruitment and retention efforts. • Conduct a process efficiency review to identify opportunities to streamline the recruitment process. This can include analyzing current procedures, identifying bottlenecks, and exploring ways to improve the efficiency of the recruitment process. By streamlining the process, SFD can reduce the time and resources needed to recruit and hire qualified personnel. • Develop more formalized efforts to assess the success of fire academies and determine the optimal balance of academy length, staffing, and facilities to support successful trainee performance. In its evaluations, the Department should consider whether the size of its academies allows SFD to maintain an effective instructor-to-trainee ratio and provide sufficient space and apparatus for repetitions. Enhancing the continuous improvement culture within the Department's training programs can be achieved by developing and implementing a formal survey process that encourages trainees to provide feedback and contribute ideas for further improvement.
• Continue to regularly analyze compensation packages and explore compensation and benefits improvements to attract and retain employees. This could include offering more competitive salaries, benefits packages, and bonuses for retention.
4. Observation While SFD conducts exit interviews when sworn staff leave the Department, results are not consistently collected and documented for trend analysis.
Recommendation SFD, in collaboration with HR, should implement consistent exit interview procedures and conduct a semi-annual analysis to evaluate factors contributing to employee turnover and retention.
Exit interviews are an opportunity to hear directly from outgoing employees and gain valuable insights into employee issues. While SFD leadership conducts exit interviews with departing sworn staff, resulting information is not consistently tracked or documented so that it can be analyzed to identify trends over time. Establishing a consistent exit interview process and analyzing trends in exit interview data can present useful information for why employees leave and enable SFD to take proactive measures based on the results.
The exit interview process should be scoped and managed by the HR function in consultation with SFD management. To provide the most neutral setting and solicit honest feedback, an HR representative should lead the interviews. HR should be thoughtful about gathering and storing data; summaries of responses should be included with employee personnel files and aggregated for larger analysis.
Exit interviews should offer a combination of standard questions that all departing employees answer in addition to some open-ended questions. This will allow SFD to gather parallel data and track trends while also providing the opportunity to solicit unexpected responses. In terms of content, the exit interviews should provide insight into employee motivations, issues within the organization, and Attachment A
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information about competing organizations. The Harvard Business Review suggests that organizations should focus on five primary content goals when creating an exit interview strategy:
• Uncover issues related to HR: Questions relating to salary and benefits needs, development opportunities, or other HR practices that may influence an employee’s decision to stay or leave. • Understand employees’ perception of their work: Questions relating to the job itself, organizational culture, and employee relationships.
• Gain insight into managers’ leadership styles and effectiveness: Questions relating to an employee’s relationship with and experience of their direct manager. • Learn about HR benchmarks (salary, benefits) at competing organizations: Questions relating to the salary and benefits of the employee’s new position. • Foster innovation by soliciting ideas for improving the organization: Questions relating to opportunities to increase the impact of the organization.
Exit interviews are most useful when the data generated is aggregated and used to inform organizational decisions. The data should be analyzed by HR for common themes or issues to help SFD continuously improve. Results should be anonymized, consolidated, and shared with SFD management on a semi-annual basis to identify common themes or issues and determine if any follow-up actions are necessary. While HR may administer the day-to-day operations, management and leadership should be active partners in using and responding to the results.
Attachment A