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Home My WebLink About4.D.2. Authorization to Hire Additional Paid-on-Call Firefighters Consent Business 4. D. 2. SHAKOI'EE TO: Mayor and City Council Mark McNeill, City Administrator FROM: Kris Wilson, Assistant City Administrator DATE: 06/04/2013 SUBJECT: Authorization to Hire Additional Paid -on -Call Firefighters (E) Action Sought The Council is asked to authorize the hiring of up to three additional paid -on -call firefighters, beyond the Department's currently authorized staff of 46. Background For many years, the Shakopee Fire Department has had an authorized staff of 46 paid -on -call firefighters. There is currently one vacancy among the 46 due to a retirement several months ago. Newly hired firefighters are required to undergo a significant amount of classroom training, including Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2 and HazMat Operations. The Shakopee Fire Department joins with all of the other fire departments in Scott County in hiring a qualified instructor and providing this training annually at the SCALE Joint Training Facility. The training is offered once a year beginning in the late summer. As such, the Department conducts only one hiring process per year and aims for an August 1 start date for all new hires. While a typical new hire class for Shakopee is three or four individuals, as noted above, at this time the Department only has one opening to fill. However, staff is seeking the ability to hire up to four individuals in order to provide good succession planning. Of the 45 paid -on -call firefighters currently with the Department, four already have more than twenty years of service and could retire with a full pension at any time. Two others will reach the twenty-year mark this summer and another two in the spring of next of year. Additionally there are a small number of current firefighters struggling to meet the minimum attendance requirements and past practice shows that we typically lose at least one new hire during the probationary period. Therefore, rather than hire just one individual this year and find ourselves in the situation of needing to hire six to eight new firefighters in a single year in the future, the Department would prefer to bring on the traditional three or four new hires this year in preparation for what are some likely departures in the next year or two. This is particularly beneficial as it takes two years for most new hires to be fully operational with the Department. Additionally, given the pool of applicants in recent years, it would likely be difficult to find six to eight qualified candidates in a single year and, if they could be identified, a new hire class of that size would strain the Department's capacity to properly train and supervise rookie firefighters. If Council supports this temporary increase, staff will complete the selection process and bring forward the names of up to four best qualified candidates at an upcoming Council meeting. The exact number of candidates brought forward for hire will depend on the overall quality of the applicant pool and may be less than, but would not exceed, four. Budget Impact The City pays out approximately $4,875 per year in wages to the average paid -on -call firefighter and has a pension obligation of $7,500 per year of service (a portion of which is sometimes, but not always, covered by investment earnings within the Relief Association). If Council is willing to temporarily increase the authorized staffing level from 46 to 49, the associated training and personnel costs can be accommodated within the Department's adopted operating budget for 2013. Additionally, the goal at this time is not to permanently grow the size of the Department but rather to maintain a steady, moderate hiring pace year to year with the expectation that the size of the Department will settle out at or very close to 46 individuals through attrition in the coming years. Relationship to Vision This items relates to Goal E: Deliver effective and efficient public services with a staff of well - trained, caring and professional employees. Recommendation I recommend authorizing the hiring of up to four new paid -on -call firefighters as the best practice for managing staffing within the Fire Department. Requested Action If the Council concurs, it is asked to authorize staff to bring forward for hire the names of up to four qualified candidates for the position of paid -on -call firefighter. Attachments: