Manpower push: Fire chief, firefighters press city to hire new recruits
Revenue from third-party billing seen as the way to pay for additionsBy Sam Shawver, sshawver@mariettatimes.com
Article Photos
Fact Box
Third-party billing
The following amounts have been generated through third-party billing by the Marietta Fire Department over the past four years:
2006 - $375,278.
2007 - $400,940.
2008 - $379,268.
2009 - $350,210 (as of Oct. 30)
Total revenue to date - more than $1.5 million
Source: Marietta Fire Department.
After nearly four years and more than $1.5 million in revenue, Marietta's firefighters union and fire chief say it's time to use third-party billing money as originally intended - to hire more firefighters.
"In 2006, when we first initiated third-party billing, City Council didn't want to begin hiring right away because they wanted to see how much money the billing would bring in," said Eric Moore, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 442.
"The union has been patient, and during the Nov. 5 labor and management meeting with the city administration, we requested using the third-party funds to hire firefighters," he said. "The ball's in the administration's court, and we want an answer."
Third-party billing allows the department to bill patients' insurance companies for ambulance runs. If a patient has no insurance he or she does not have to pay.
Use of the funding, which has totaled from $350,000 to $400,000 annually, has been a bone of contention between the fire department and City Council since third-party billing was initiated by then-Chief Ted Baker, who died in March 2006.
"Chief Baker had been told by council if he could find a way to fund more firefighters they would be willing to hire them, but another source of income was needed," Moore said, adding that current Mayor Michael Mullen as well as former Mayor Joe Matthews had said the same thing.
Moore said third-party billing was Baker's' answer to council's request for an alternate source of income to fund the hiring of more firefighters. But once the money started coming in, council placed it in the city's general fund without earmarking any for hiring more fire personnel.
"And union members agreed to take on the extra paperwork that would be required for third-party billing," Moore added. "Now we're generating money but not getting additional firefighters."
Fire Chief Tom Dempsey agrees.
"The union has jumped through every hoop the city has asked them to, but we're still sitting here with no new firefighters," he said. "Citizens are appalled when they hear we haven't been hiring with the third-party billing money."
Dempsey noted that he has attempted to help council ease the strain on the general fund by recommending that the city apply for a three-year federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (S.A.F.E.R.) grant that would pay 100 percent of newly hired firefighters' salaries for the first two years, with the city picking up the total salaries for the third year of the grant.
"But that grant was shot down because of the price tag in the third year," Dempsey said.
The chief said he would like to hire seven new firefighters which would provide enough coverage so that current employees would not have to work swing shifts at each of the department's three fire stations.
The additional workers would also provide needed manpower to beef up skeleton fire crews.
Dempsey said he based the need for seven firefighters on standards recommended by the National Fire Protection Association.
"NFIP actually recommends the hiring of 15 more firefighters, but I think that's a little overboard, and I knew the city could not afford to hire that many," he said.
This year, City Council agreed to use a portion of the third-party billing to help shore up a shortage in fire levy funding for the city's two outlying fire stations on Harmar Hill and on Glendale Road. Approximately 60 percent of each month's third-party billing collections go to those stations, based on the number of runs each makes monthly.
Mullen said the administration would consider the S.A.F.E.R. grant if the firefighters could provide a viable plan to cover salaries over the long haul - beyond the first two years of the grant.
"The grant funding is finite, so we have to see a plan that shows sustainability," he said. "Every one of our departments would like to and could use additional personnel, but when we have a flat economy, we have to be prudent as city government officials. And if we don't have the money, we can't spend it."
Mullen said before the administration could present anything to council about using third party billing funds to hire more firefighters, "we would need to have a very thorough review that shows how those positions could be sustained."
He noted that the city of Mansfield recently had to lay off more than 20 firefighters.
"That's not a situation we want to be in," Mullen said. "We don't want to lay people off, we have to look at the whole city budget. But if the firefighters union puts a plan on the administration's desk that makes sense and is viable, we would present it to council.
"In an economy that's growing it would be perfectly logical to use third party monies for more hiring, but our funds have not been in a growth mode, so we have to make our budget decisions based on all of our needs," he said.
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outlaw07
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11-19-09 11:52 AM
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What mullen ran on and what he believes in are to totally different things remember his a politician he lies
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zal101
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11-19-09 10:14 AM
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whats gonna happen to their beautiful front street when there is another fire in one of those old buildings again? use the money where its was designated to in the first place!!! we need city services duh! isnt that what Mullin ran on?
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Buckyes1
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11-19-09 9:11 AM
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so why doesn't everyone quit complaining here and PROTEST on the front steps of the city bldg and let the mayor know how you feel.
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BlackList
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11-19-09 7:42 AM
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Ted worked hard to get this issue going and after so many head to heads with city council, finally got the 3rd party billing approved. So here we are nearly 4 years later and still no new firefighters. Unfortunately he passed away and can no longer be the driving force behind getting new firefighters. I find it very disappointing that this money is going to the general fund. Ted loved this city and the guys at the station and worked so hard to make it safer for all. I find it even more disappointing that I only hear about this issue in the papers or WTAP ever year or two. It’s time to stand up and be a new driving force. This money was to be for firefighters…..keep fighting for it.
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outlaw07
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11-18-09 11:40 PM
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and by creating new jobs ur bringing in tax money and ur also helping the economy locally all around
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outlaw07
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11-18-09 11:38 PM
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i have to agree with localylocal. but for the people against when their house catches on fire and there isnt enough fireman to put the fire out or enough emts to come help them because they are already out on runs and their is no more left to respond. then we will see them be all for it because it wil benefit them. and thats the problem with our country its all about me me me not my neighbor or the lady down the street. if it isnt gonna benefit someone personally they are against it.
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localyocal
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11-18-09 10:30 PM
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Furthermore, I hate that someone tries to create disharmony between the fire and police departments. The same logic rings true with different circumstances. When the police department says they need more we should find was to fund it. Both these departments are proforming a job that puts them in LIFE and DEATH situations everyday and we don't have a right to ask them to do that without proper equipment, manpower, and training. Sorry, do without something else. And if it can't be found by way of cuts, then the city has to either add a tax or citizens will go without protection. The 3rd party was SUPPOSE to fund more fire fighters.
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localyocal
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11-18-09 10:24 PM
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How can a group of governmental know it alls, morally make the decision that concerns the very real safety of the men that protect them and all of us in the city. If the Chief and the National Fire association say we are operating under UNSAFE conditions, how can council second guess that. They have no right. That's the bottom line. These men may not walk into a fire everyday, but if they do it once in their career, that is enough. Fact is they are faced with true life and death situations many times a month and if they need more help simply for that reason, we are obligated to find a way to pay for it. Cut something else.
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flamedancer74
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11-18-09 9:09 PM
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Another important point is, many want to talk about population vs. how many firefighters. This is an outdated way of looking at it. What's important is to think about square miles protected and types of occupancies and response time to get there. We used to have 4 fire stations and 40 firefighter/EMTs and now we have 3 stations and 35 firefighters/EMTs allot less. The the square miles covered, and types of occupancies have grown and are larger in scale. This will decrease your response times. Then look at the two college's and the amount of students in town on any give week day how the population changes. The above increases have occured since 1986 when the force was reduced and a station was closed. Food for thought.
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FFIGHTEROHST
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11-18-09 8:30 PM
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In Maine : The smaller cities/and villiages are Paid Volunteer's. Meaning You respond from your house or were ever,Once you make a run you are on the clock. No benefits other than workers comp. I am Volunteer FF/EMT Just outside of the city. And I'm for this.
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emtwife13
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11-18-09 6:40 PM
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the end of my last comment is....it is a lot of Continuing Education classes, trainings, and that's on top of the classes 2 to 3 nights a week for a couple months to be certified at all.
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GOBUCKS
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11-18-09 6:29 PM
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Things like this is why I moved out of city limits.
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emtwife13
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11-18-09 5:26 PM
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woodstock....I will correct you because you r wrong. Most surrounding volunteer fire departments have people from the downtown area on them!! Also, when there is a big fire regardless of city or out of city, all departments (including Marietta) respond. So, let's say MTTA does have volunteers and they run for a surrounding volunteer fire department and there is a major fire or any kind of emergency really. The volunteers at the MTTA station would not be available for the dept. that they are members of. Which, in the end, brings us back to a shortage of volunteers. If the surrounding departments are having problems getting volunteers then how will Marietta be able to pull enough in to cover everything they do? I support any and all departments that do 3rd party billing so that we do have departments that can stay open and respond to us and our loved ones when in need. It's not just a matter of people just saying "I'll volunteer". It's a lot of classes, and ECU's to be certifi
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DeputyDawg
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11-18-09 4:53 PM
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w00dst0ck0581 There is a big shortage in most volunteer these days,so how would volunteers work in Marietta? I think it is very cheap what the city of Marietta has done with 3rd part billing. Mr mayor Ted Baker came up with a way to pay firefighters,and I have always agree it should had been done that way.. With the Pike street area growing,a need for a station in that area is going to be needed soon. Is that going to be ignored too? flamedancer74 I knew there would be some out of pocket expenses with private ambulance,but did not realize it would be that much.But something needs to be done,before a firefighter,or someone dies in a fire because they can't be rescued because of shortage,and because the city of Marietta is too stupid to do anything about it. I would also like to say thanks to all ems and firefighters for everything they do to keep everyone safe
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w00dst0ck0581
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11-18-09 3:35 PM
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Im not against the city fire/ems department, but I am surprised that they have it. I came from pennsylvania and we had a town the size of marietta, alot like it, right on the river, so you had the river rescue portion and the ems as part of the department, it was set up as 3 volunteer departments, all separate chiefs, station ids etc, and it worked fine. And EMTwife, correct me if i'm wrong, but it would be additional volunteers added, not companies like Warren, Reno, Oak Grove, Devola etc covering the city, it would be Marietta Volunteers, so, thatd be their duty, at least thats how i read it
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flamedancer74
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11-18-09 3:34 PM
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The most important thing in all of this is: Having enough firefighters on that initial call that's when it counts, either Rescue or Fire. If you are already on a call, like the last two major fires, then it becomes very dangerous and a victim rescue from a fire is almost impossible, not to mention property loss. Remember it's your choice as to what level of protection you want not what politicians think you should have.
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flamedancer74
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11-18-09 3:25 PM
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This is a pretty good discussion. I must add concerning DeputyDawg:Private ambulance was looked at in detail. We found that private means you pay out of your own pocket for expenses above usual cost plus mileage, supplies and other fees and equipment maintenance and replacement. Then the city has to contract a company to provide a 24 hour service. It makes since financially and common since wise to have the FD do it.
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flamedancer74
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11-18-09 3:17 PM
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This is a pretty good discussion. I must add concerning Buckeye1:1.) FD does not make more than PD. 2.) 1 hour a day? Typical day for FD 1. 7 rescue runs= 7 hours, Cleaning/equipment checks/grocery's/education/repairs/public speaking= 10 hours. Sleep= 7 hours maybe. Fires who knows could be hours, not to mention river operations, hazardous material response, misc. runs. That's a packed day if you ask me. 3.)PD is not usually called when FD is.
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flamedancer74
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11-18-09 3:17 PM
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This is a pretty good discussion. I must add concerning Buckeye1:1.) FD does not make more than PD. 2.) 1 hour a day? Typical day for FD 1. 7 rescue runs= 7 hours, Cleaning/equipment checks/grocery's/education/repairs/public speaking= 10 hours. Sleep= 7 hours maybe. Fires who knows could be hours, not to mention river operations, hazardous material response, misc. runs. That's a packed day if you ask me. 3.)PD is not usually called when FD is.
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emtwife13
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11-18-09 2:51 PM
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First of all, I agree that the Fire Department should get the funds to hire more staff. Secondly, being the wife of a volunteer fireman and EMT that runs on 2 departments, I do not agree on having volunteers cover a city fire dept.. Volunteers take time out of their day and away from their families to help others in need. Putting volunteers in a city dept. without getting paid is like double duty for them. For exampe, Beverly ran from 8:15am yesterday morning until about 2:00pm yesterday afternoon. This was non-stop, and they covered a run for Lowell VFD. Volunteer Depts are great if they have enough people to cover. The way I see it is all Volunteer Depts. will be paid services before long. And, yeah, they might not have any runs for a day, but they might have several days in a row that they run constantly....all through the night even, and then pick-up and go to their regular jobs without sleep. So, my opinion, give the Fire Dept., the employees they deserve!!!
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DeputyDawg
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11-18-09 2:15 PM
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Uh Mr Mayor you forgot to mention that the city of Mansfield was ordered to put those firefighters back to work. Did that happen to slip your mind?
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shawneegirl12
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11-18-09 1:29 PM
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I believe that if the fire department was told, even by a past mayor, that if they could find supplemental funding they would be able to hire more firefighters they should be able to do just that. And as for spliting money with the police dept. I think thats a joke. Have you seen the sheriff's cars lately? If they are able to afford cars like that, then they don't need any more money.
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WhatsTheDiscussionAbout
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11-18-09 12:21 PM
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Money, Money, Money, We all want money for something. Some use it in the correct manner and not to fatten there pockets.. Im for the firefighters and no so much on the police department. I think we have to many police officers anyways. What do they do all day long? All i see them do is run up and down the roads at a high rate of speed and cause problems for the locals. Put the money to good use for once. Marietta is a small town and only getting smaller cause of to many corrupted people. Just wait till tomorrows headlines. Im sure it will have something to do with someone stealing money from somebody. But of course these are just my opinions. dont take them to heart.
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DeputyDawg
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11-18-09 11:52 AM
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I think the answer is for the fire dept to get out of the ambulance business,and let a private ambulance company come in to make medical calls. That would probably take care of the need to hire more firefightes
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Buckyes1
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11-18-09 11:38 AM
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My opinion....The fire dept makes MORE than the police dept and they may work 1 hour a day unless there is a fire (which happens what, every 1 or 2 years) I agree that money should be used the way it was intended. BUT it should be used for BOTH departments. Everytime the fire dept gets called out, so does the police dept and they are understaffed too. So, City Council needs to keep their promise and quit padding the general fund which is also called "Council's Piggy Bank" and give it to our civil service men and women. After all, they are the ones who truly work for this money...NOT YOU.
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