Mar. 24, 2008 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)oldcop (anonymous)

Perhaps someone could get a figure from Chief Giles as to what he and the union can agree upon as a minimum manpower staffing level for the city fire department. The police department did this years ago and officers are only allowed overtime in territory cars when the manpower falls below the agreed upon number. I expect the city could save hundreds of thousands in overtime with this simple change in policy.

Mar. 24, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)truth (anonymous)

The city coucil approved cuts from overtime and other line items for several city departments. Fire Chief Giles shut down one engine company for staffing reasons just in time to callback five chiefs, pay them overtime for two hours, to attend a "team building" meeting in which he wasn't present. The money Giles decided to spend on the meeting could have left the engine company open that day. Just think, the city had to go to Georgia to find this kind of common sense. The citizens of Topeka deserve better. Sounds like another 49 exclusive investigation.

Mar. 25, 2008 at 10:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)josie (anonymous)

As a taxpayer I have definite concerns with a city council that won't fund the city adequately. Having said that, I have a bigger concern with what is happening with the fire department and the call back situation. I have always respected firefighters and their willingness to sacrifice for others. I have always held them in high regard as men and women that are honest, hard working, and above reproach. I am sorry to say that image is no longer one I have as I have seen several firefighters call in sick when they are not, just because they don't feel like coming to work or because they think this is the way to retaliate against the Chief. As a taxpayer they are stealing money from me when they do this. They are requiring call back to be paid out that shouldn't have to be if they were being honest. What they are doing is morally, ethically, and legally wrong. They are cheating all taxpayers. $12,000 a month should be plenty for the "occasional" overload on the sick, but when we have sick leave abusers constantly taxing this money it won't ever be enough. Place the blame where it lays --- dishonest sick leave abusers.

Mar. 27, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)gkm274 (anonymous)

Josie, you may be misinformed concerning sick leave USE versus abuse. Firefighters EARN sick leave as a benefit they have bargained for in their contract, and over the years they have been forced to make concessions to keep this benefit. The city has saved money many times by using sick leave as a bargaining tool during negotiations, but now they have forgotten the firefighters have paid for this benefit. I will share some simple math about minimum staffing using only one shift as an example, there are 72 firefighting positions per shift,4 persons per company,18 companies. The agreement is to allow up to 14 people off in advance with an additional buffer of 4 people per day, to keep all companies manned with at least 3 personnel. The Chief has elected to not fill a Battalion Chief and firefighter positions on this shift, which are counted against manning for the day. At the beginning of the day, there should be room for 4 additional people to be off, but items such as jury duty, funeral leave for immediate relatives or other unexpected ,unplanned, uncontrollable events leaves very little room for another uncontrolled and unwanted event, illness. The illness may be that of the employee or a member of their immediate household who they may need to take care of, again this is something that was negotiated and agreed upon by both the City and the Union, so it’s not an abuse, it is use of an EARNED benefit. No doubt misuse exists, but not to the extreme. With an approximate 5% use of sick leave, the odds are very good the manning will not be sufficient to man all units. I am sure many other agencies across the city and state face an absentee rate much higher than that on a daily basis! A usage of less than 10% would not seem extreme, but that would still require closing companies or utilizing callback. During the last contract negotiations, firefighters agreed to a callback rate of time and a half, a reduction from the double time rate that had been in place for many years, once again the firefighters agreed to a concession in the contract, something that saves the City money! Also remember, when a firefighter is called back to work, it is for 24 hours, so it doesn’t take too many personnel on 24 hour shifts to cost $12,000. If the two vacant positions the Fire Chief has chosen to not refill were the only ones filled every day by callback, it would cost about $12,000 per month alone. I hope the City Council will provide the funds necessary to maintain the protection the citizens of Topeka deserve, while mandating the City Manager to be more selective in how budget cuts are handled. Across the board cuts do not work when emergency services are involved. There are many issues citizens cannot possibly know without asking, but I would encourage you and all others who are taking sides, learn the whole story before you accuse my brother and sister firefighters of stealing, when they are actually utilizing a benefit they have paid for time and time again!