Brown-outs are about to become part of the lexicon of Manteca firefighters.
In a bid to drive down overtime costs created when illness or vacation fails to meet the three-man per engine staffing standard the city and Manteca Firefighters Association agreed to several years ago in a memorandum of understanding, Manteca will soon start idling one fire engine per shift when staffing drops below predetermined levels.
The move is expected to significantly reduce the department’s overtime costs that cost $500,000 last year along with other concessions that firefighters stepped forward to put in place, according to interim Fire Chief Kirk Waters. That concession – altering a previously agreed upon arrangement to reduce the maximum firefighters that can be on vacation at one time from two down to one – are key to slashing OT costs along with the brown-outs.
There are 13 firefighters working on any given shift. When one firefighter calls in sick or is unable to work for other reasons, instead of calling in a replacement to work overtime the department will park the rescue squad. The squad now responds to all calls. If the specialized equipment is needed when it is not manned, it will be retrieved from the station on Powers Avenue and sent to the scene. All fire engines have basic life saving equipment.
If a second firefighter is unavailable for work, then the engine housed at the Union Road fire station will go unmanned. That still leaves the aerial platform truck – a highly specialized engine that typically responds throughout the city – to cover the southern portion of Manteca.
Waters said he is impressed with how firefighters have stepped up to come up with ways to reduce costs and to keep service levels as high as possible.
A reorganization is allowing the department to increase the number of front-line firefighters from 36 to 39 without putting a crimp in other duties including plan reviews and fire prevention duties.
The department is still facing the loss of 10 firefighters if the MFA decides not to agree to terms in 30 days that effectively would have members forgo renegotiated wage increases for the next two years plus kick more into their retirement. Citywide, up to 54 of Manteca’s 350 municipal employees face layoffs if they don’t make similar concession to help bridge the budget deficit. If all of the bargaining units agree – the Manteca Police Employees Association already has – the city would still have $1.7 million in cuts to make before the budget is balanced.
Without Measure M – the half cent public safety sales tax – one fire engine that requires nine firefighters for 24/7 staffing would already be off line. If the sales tax was not in place, Manteca could be facing a dire situation that would force the closure of one entire station.
“Measure M is a godsend,” Waters said.
Manteca with 13 firefighters working at any given time is close to optimum staffing of 15 firefighters to respond to structure fires quickly enough to make sure that they can be brought under control to minimize losses.
Reserves currently are called to structure fires to provide adequate manpower. Eleven of the 20 authorized reserve positions are currently filled.
The city’s aerial platform truck is equipped with fire hose, a pump, and a water tank just like a fire engine. For all intents and purposes it functions as a fire engine with the bonus of having an aerial ladder and other specialized equipment, required in firefighting efforts of large buildings.
Waters noted many municipalities run their aerial platform trucks equipped similarly as a front-line fire engine responding to all emergencies.
He noted the aerial platform engine has served Manteca very well especially with the delay of a fourth fire station due to budgetary constraints.
In a bid to drive down overtime costs created when illness or vacation fails to meet the three-man per engine staffing standard the city and Manteca Firefighters Association agreed to several years ago in a memorandum of understanding, Manteca will soon start idling one fire engine per shift when staffing drops below predetermined levels.
The move is expected to significantly reduce the department’s overtime costs that cost $500,000 last year along with other concessions that firefighters stepped forward to put in place, according to interim Fire Chief Kirk Waters. That concession – altering a previously agreed upon arrangement to reduce the maximum firefighters that can be on vacation at one time from two down to one – are key to slashing OT costs along with the brown-outs.
There are 13 firefighters working on any given shift. When one firefighter calls in sick or is unable to work for other reasons, instead of calling in a replacement to work overtime the department will park the rescue squad. The squad now responds to all calls. If the specialized equipment is needed when it is not manned, it will be retrieved from the station on Powers Avenue and sent to the scene. All fire engines have basic life saving equipment.
If a second firefighter is unavailable for work, then the engine housed at the Union Road fire station will go unmanned. That still leaves the aerial platform truck – a highly specialized engine that typically responds throughout the city – to cover the southern portion of Manteca.
Waters said he is impressed with how firefighters have stepped up to come up with ways to reduce costs and to keep service levels as high as possible.
A reorganization is allowing the department to increase the number of front-line firefighters from 36 to 39 without putting a crimp in other duties including plan reviews and fire prevention duties.
The department is still facing the loss of 10 firefighters if the MFA decides not to agree to terms in 30 days that effectively would have members forgo renegotiated wage increases for the next two years plus kick more into their retirement. Citywide, up to 54 of Manteca’s 350 municipal employees face layoffs if they don’t make similar concession to help bridge the budget deficit. If all of the bargaining units agree – the Manteca Police Employees Association already has – the city would still have $1.7 million in cuts to make before the budget is balanced.
Without Measure M – the half cent public safety sales tax – one fire engine that requires nine firefighters for 24/7 staffing would already be off line. If the sales tax was not in place, Manteca could be facing a dire situation that would force the closure of one entire station.
“Measure M is a godsend,” Waters said.
Manteca with 13 firefighters working at any given time is close to optimum staffing of 15 firefighters to respond to structure fires quickly enough to make sure that they can be brought under control to minimize losses.
Reserves currently are called to structure fires to provide adequate manpower. Eleven of the 20 authorized reserve positions are currently filled.
The city’s aerial platform truck is equipped with fire hose, a pump, and a water tank just like a fire engine. For all intents and purposes it functions as a fire engine with the bonus of having an aerial ladder and other specialized equipment, required in firefighting efforts of large buildings.
Waters noted many municipalities run their aerial platform trucks equipped similarly as a front-line fire engine responding to all emergencies.
He noted the aerial platform engine has served Manteca very well especially with the delay of a fourth fire station due to budgetary constraints.
