Fire chief to seek budget bump over OT costs By: Aldo Santin Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018 Last Modified: 12:38 PM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 5, 2018 Updates

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Beleaguered Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Chief John Lane is expected to appear before city councillors next week to request an additional $4.8 million this year for his department.

An administrative report to the finance committee states the WFPS continues to be unable to contain firefighter overtime costs, which accounts for $1.5 million of the additional bump to the budget.

Lane’s position since he was hired as chief in 2014 is the city doesn’t have enough firefighters to cover off sick leave, injury, and training time, with the result of unnecessary overtime. Lane said he could reduce overtime costs if there were more firefighters on the city’s payroll.

“In nearly all cases, there is an increase in absence levels when compared to 2017 and prior years, and most importantly, an increase that cannot be covered within the current staffing ratio,” states the report, authored by John Hall, WFPS financial controller.

“This is because a reduction in the number of planned staff each shift will result in a lower number of available staff to operate fire apparatus.

"Any shortfall is backfilled with overtime call-ins.”

Councillors on the finance committee will consider the request at their Tuesday meeting.

$900K budgeted for OT; actual cost $2.4 million

In the past, Lane has drawn criticism for his handling of a disrespectful workplace complaint which resulted in an arbitrator imposing costs of $115,000 against the city to be paid to department paramedics and their union; a questionable cozy relationship with the firefighters’ union president; a seemingly excessive rate of out-of-town trips for attendance at conferences; and, billing the city for a portion of his costs towards an MBA degree at the University of Manitoba.

On the issue of overtime, Lane has repeatedly said other fire departments across the country have a higher staffing ratio but he hasn’t been able to convince politicians at city hall to bump up the number of full-time firefighters.

The report says the department budgets about $900,000 annually for firefighter overtime, but it’s projected to be almost $2.4 million for this year.

The department’s actual overtime costs in 2017 was $2.124 million. It’s projected to be $2.39 million for 2018.

In contrast, the EMS (paramedic) side of the fire paramedic service is projecting to be under budget for its overtime costs in 2018: budgeted at $1.155 million, but actual costs now projected to be $972,000.

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Other factors accounting for the $4.8 million request include:

• $1.1 million for additional firefighters benefit costs (including $500,000 for Workers Compensation due to work-based injuries; $300,000 for higher than anticipated retirement costs for sick leave and vacation cash-outs; $300,000 for additional pension costs).
• $1.5 million attributed to bad debts on unpaid ambulance bills.
• $200,000 due to higher maintenance costs of firefighting trucks.
• $200,000 due to higher fuel prices.
• $400,000 for a combination of other, unnamed increases.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca