Commission Provides Support for Department’s Staffing Needs
The Police and Fire Commission unanimously approved the hiring of three new firefighter/paramedics using funds from the EMS Enterprise Fund, one for each shift.
Commissioner Mike Meyers initiated the request for this special meeting following recent discussions. There were two purposes to this meeting – 1) approve body cameras for PD and 2) discuss the addition of three FF/Paramedics.
All members of the Police and Fire Commission were present for the meeting, as was leadership from both departments. Alderman Gordy Earll was also in attendance, as was Finance Director Ron Aumann and Human Resources Director Jen Rachu. Mayor Bob McManus was not present at the start of the meeting, arriving late to the discussion and providing no input prior to the vote.
The EMS enterprise fund is a self-supporting fund that uses revenue from billing for EMS services to fund the EMS service, no tax revenue is used in the enterprise fund.
Current staffing levels and the additional EMS calls both from 911 and the contract the fire department has with Marshfield Clinic Health System for transfers and intercepts has resulted in a spike in overtime, and one additional staff person per shift would result in saving 58 24-hour overtime shifts, according to Scott Owen, Fire Chief.
Staffing at Marshfield Fire and Rescue has been a continual concern for members of the department and this decision comes as call volumes for MFRD continues to rise.
The proposal now goes to the Finance, Budget, & Personnel Committee for approval.
The commission also approved purchasing new body cameras for the police department with the funds received from returning the faulty cameras the police department had originally purchased.
