NORWICH – Overtime issues at the City of Norwich Fire Department have been a concern in the past for city lawmakers, and the Director of Human Resources Deborah Deforest said concentrated efforts are being made to control them this year.
According to charts provided by Deforest that list salary, benefits and overtime for each fireman, the average cost to the city is $92,177 per worker. A large portion of that figure is due to the costs of health insurance and benefits. The charts show the regular average salary for the department is much less, averaging $52,443. Firemen made, on average, $12,410 in overtime in 2006.
City of Oneida Civil Service Executive Director Peg Margo said overtime is a concern for her city’s fire department as well. “Looking at the base salary and what the firemen actually make, there is always a big difference,” she said. While Margo didn’t have the number of hours of overtime her department worked in 2006, she did provide comparative information on the base salary for her department. Information provided by the Cities of Oneida and Oneonta showed that their firemen made a lower hourly rate than those in Norwich. Oneida firemen start at an hourly salary of $13.23 and Oneonta firemen start at an hourly rate of $11.43, while Norwich firemen in 2006 started at a base rate of $15.48. Margo explained that the difference may not be as great as it appears, because the firemen in Oneida’s department are paid extra stipends based on the training and certification they have received.
“We’re taking significant steps to really reduce overtime,” Norwich’s deForest said. “The numbers for 2006 could look high compared to where we hope to be for 2007.”
The Norwich City Fire Department currently runs with approximately 14 paid employees, a multi-department chief (Police Chief Joseph Angelino covers both the police department and the fire department) and a large staff of volunteers. Mayor Joseph Maiurano says the number of employees has decreased over the last 10 to 12 years, when the staff included at least 18 paid firemen, and an independent fire chief. “We’ve had a paid department since 1937 and now the paid department is doing a lot more,” he said.
Maiurano explained in addition to their regular duties, the firemen are also responsible for ambulance calls, which have increased since a private company cut back service to the area. He also said that everal of the officers are certified, or are becoming certified, as code enforcement officers to help with the city’s new rental registration ordinance. In addition, firemen are called on to present fire prevention programs at the area schools, are present at athletic events, and participate in many activities in the community.
“The fire department is an insurance policy for the whole community,” Maiurano said, explaining the department not only fights fires but helps prevent them. He compared cutting staff at the department to eliminating lifeguards at the pool because there haven’t been any drownings. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
The mayor explained with an increase in the aging population, there is more of a need for the firemen at the department than there was eight to 10 years ago. In addition to the people who live in the area, the mayor explained, during the day, there are over 20,000 people in the city, and the fire department works to protect all of them. “There’s a lot going on between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
According to the mayor, many people don’t realize the fire department raises revenue for the city by providing ambulance service. He explained the city can make money more easily than a private ambulance service because fixed costs for the building used to house the vehicles and the employees manning the vehicles would be there even if the city did not provide ambulance service. Deforest attested to this fact during a separate interview, saying “a portion of the firemen’s salaries are covered by the ambulance service.”
“People should realize we have a great, professional department,” Maiurano said.