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| Staying employed Firefighters to work In jail |
| By HEATHER SCOFIELD, Staff Writer, news-journalonline.com |
| Published: 02/05/2010 |
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DELAND -- Facing a dire financial prognosis that could otherwise force layoffs, the Volusia County Council has decided to recruit 18 of the county's firefighters to become correctional officers. The lifesavers will be asked to move into the county's jail system, which is experiencing a shortage of workers. The council also agreed the county would pay the roughly $1,700 each it will cost to put the firefighters through the 14-week training program and certification process they'll need. County Manager Jim Dinneen told council members as budget talks began Thursday that the discussion was "not an attack on fire services," but merely an attempt to save the jobs and prevent a major tax increase to residents in the unincorporated areas of the county. Details of the selection process for the crossover position haven't been worked out yet. Officials have already saved 18 jobs by cutting overtime this year and moving to a new "hub model" approach to fire services in the county that also reduced staffing at some fire stations from three people to two. But those moves were made just to "buy time" for officials to find other ways to close a growing funding gap caused by deflating home values, Dinneen said. When the fiscal year ends in September, officials will have saved roughly $1 million with the new model, said Mike Coffin, public protection director. But another $3 million in cuts must still be made if council members hope to avoid raising the fire services property tax rate, he said. The division has a $26.6 million operating budget this year. Approximately $16.9 million of that is spent on personnel, Coffin said. To cut $3 million from the budget, the county would need to cut 42 firefighters from its ranks and close six fire stations. And that's assuming taxable values don't dip this year more than the 15 percent officials are estimating they will. "We couldn't support the current model with 42 people down," Coffin told the council. "It would be impossible." Officials are moving forward with preliminary talks with some of the cities in the county to see where regional consolidation and joint station staffing efforts might save taxpayer money. Talks are expected to move slowly, though, because of the firefighters' varying wage, benefit and pension levels from one agency to the next. They're also investigating how changes in the way firefighters are dispatched might save money. County firefighters "really don't do anything" on more than half of the calls they respond to, Coffin said. On many others, the firefighters might only assess a patient's condition or provide preliminary medical care such as intravenous lines. Councilman Josh Wagner said he's concerned that having EVAC Ambulance as the only response to minor medical calls would result in the private company requesting more subsidy than the $3 million it receives annually. And Councilman Jack Hayman expressed concern the public is crying "wolf," calling for emergency help when it's not truly needed. Councilman Carl Persis called offering firefighters new jobs in the jail a "noble gesture," but said he doubts they'll be interested in the change. "I think they're two different kinds of people," Persis said of firefighters and corrections officers. County Chairman Frank Bruno concurred but said, "we're trying to keep employees employed." The workers may want to ensure financial stability for their families, Bruno said. To help ease the pain, the council also decided the firefighters should be given first right to job openings in the fire services department when they arise. John Calache, president of the Volusia County Professional Firefighter Union Local 3574, said he was pleased with how county officials are proceeding on the matter thus far. "I think it was a generous act on the county's part," Calache said. "We appreciate (the offer) as an alternative to layoffs." It could become a first step in "mending the fence" that has divided county and union officials in recent years, he said. There are still many details to be hashed out on the job transitions, though, Calache said. For instance, it's unclear whether the transition will be forced onto specific firefighters or if the county will first call for volunteers to make the move. Calache said he thinks a call for volunteers could turn up at least a half-dozen willing employees who would see the move as a valuable opportunity for cross-training and a way to earn "another feather in their caps." Read More. |
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