More firefighters denied

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 28, 2009 7:00 PM

A proposal to bolster firefighting ranks has been left to smoulder.Vernon council has shot down the hiring of two additional firefighters because the request from administration came months after the 2009 budget was approved.“The budget process has started as we speak for 2010. We need to set this aside and look at the budget process,” said Coun. Patrick Nicol.Nicol added that there are significant financial pressures facing the city.“Dealing with these things in isolation is not what we should be doing when dealing with the budget.” The annual salary for a firefighter would be $57,200, but the total bill jumps to $70,356 when corporate costs are considered. Because 2009 is well underway, the cost for both positions for the rest of the year would be $46,904. The information presented by fire chief Jeff Carlisle will become part of the 2010 budget discussions, but opposition came from Coun. Buffy Baumbrough. She wanted the firefighters hired now.“It significantly reduces our overtime and the money we’re paying out for overtime is offset,” she said.

Carlisle had asked council for the two extra firefighters when the 2009 budget was being developed in the spring but that request was denied at that time. He says he resubmitted his report now because it had been suggested to him that the matter could be reconsidered part way through the year. To maintain a minimum duty strength of five firefighters per shift, overtime costs have soared. They went from $112,000 in 2007 to $185,000 in 2008 and there was a 19 per cent hike during the first quarter of this year. “They (two new staff) will allow our firefighters to take their time off and train,” said Carlisle. “This will not eliminate overtime but it will go a long way to manage the situation.” Carlisle says maintaining a minimum duty strength of five becomes difficult when staff are either ill or on holidays and because of that, he will ask for two new firefighters as part of the 2010 budget. “We’ll see how it fits into the (council) priorities,” he said. “I was told it was good information. They want to include it in the budget process. I don’t take it as a no.” Currently, most firefighters are being compensated for overtime through days off, but some are receiving cash payments.

Coun. Jack Gilroy removed himself from the debate because his son is a city firefighter.