Fire Chief Turned Down

Written by Peter McIntyre Tuesday, 28 July 2009 09:55107.5 KISSFM:

Vernon's fire chief has been told by city council to come back in the fall with his request for more manpower. Jeff Carlisle was seeking funding for two new firefighter-dispatchers outside of the normal budget budget cycle.He says the new staff is needed to manage a 19 percent increase in overtime costs. ($36,464 year to date compared to $30, 543 in 2008). Carlisle told the media, "When you have a staffing level that's 24-7, you have training requirements, long term illnesses, you have a number of different factors, emergencies, where you have to recall people from off duty. All those things impact your overtime budget."

Councillor Patrick Nicol didn't see it as a case needing immediate attention."I think the principle is to be fair to all the (city) departments, and I think there's any number of areas you can look at. One is in the public works department where they are 50 percent over their allotted budget. "The new positions would have added $140,000 dollars to the city payroll, which includes salaries and corporate costs. Council passed a motion to forward the chief's information to the budget process this fall with Councillor Buffy Baumbrough the lone opponent.

According to a report, the city has spent $246, 527 on overtime costs this year, 29 opercent more than the $190, 055 during the same period in 2008.Carlisle says, there will be an operational impact to council's decision saying some firefighters will have to take on additional shifts."We've had to move people's holidays around in order to maintain the minimum (staffing) strength. We've had to move pool firefighters holidays around. We've had to shuffle and things like that."Carlisle told council he has to have a minimum five people on duty 24-7, with a minimum response to calls of four.It's the second time in the last few weeks Carlisle has not been successful with a request to council. In June, council voted 5-2 to keep the downtown firehall as a composite station and the Okanagan Landing Hall as volunteer.

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Kate Bouey-Vernon 105.7 SUNFM:

Vernon's fire chief has lost another battle with city hall. Councillors have decided to put off his request for another two full-time firemen until 2010 budget discussions get underway in the autumn. Chief Jeff Carlisle told council Monday that his overtime budget was huge and growing and that the only way to keep it down would be to add to his staff. Carlisle says he'll be back with the same request in the fall."We'll continue to manage the way we are within our contract with our union and our minimum duty strength.''

Mayor Wayne Lippert says council will look at the matter at the appropriate time."We were close to getting in the budget discussions, there was some good information there, so I think the most appropriate place is at budget time."Council also heard that firefighters responded to 1356 callouts in the first six months of this year.