City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Fire Commission, 8 Feb 2022

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From YouTube: 2.8.2022 Fire Commission

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2.8.2022 Fire Commission

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And to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god.

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We have a public comment section. Anybody wish to speak public comment, saying none and then we.

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Have a public hearing, so the chief will present to the proposed budget for this food year. 2023.

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Okay, the fire commission's budget proposal fiscal year 23, is, is as follows. First, we'll.

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Do a recap of our essential services, of course, in addition to fire suppression and 911 advanced life,.

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Support emergency response: we also responsible for hazardous materials and disaster mitigation.

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Marine and waterfront safety and rescue, in fact, we are the sole asset on the river responsible for.

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Anybody that falls in the water we work with the coast guard.

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And marine patrol to in those efforts, fire prevention, inspection, emergency management, as.

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Has been shown in the last two years in our response to the copen 19 pandemic,.

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And community services, which encompasses fire education and school visits and such.

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The goals of the department have been the same as the last two years that I've been here and.

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Maintained and strengthened the reliable delivery of essential emergency and non-emergency services.

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Promote the safety of the community and employees through comprehensive education and training.

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Provide effective, efficient, customer-centered services, minimize the risk of life and property.

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Through proactive planning, education and enforcement of applicable codes and standards.

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Our position summary for fiscal year, 23 full-time staff stays the same as it.

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Has the last two fiscal years, you'll notice a change in part-time positions. We were able to.

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Remove an account clerk part-time position that was primarily.

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Used for ambulance billing purposes, we've had a wholesale change in the way that the.

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Third party analyst builder and the hospital communicate, which has rendered the position.

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Of a part-time account clerk those purposes unnecessary in our department, so we were able.

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To reduce that position, our only part-time position now is that of the fleet. Mechanic.

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Our trends for calls for service over the last 11 years. You see there was a steady increase between.

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2013 and 2019 and then the familiar cobit dip that you see in a lot of graphs and line charts.

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uh Nowadays and then in this past year, the numbers have started to increase back up, not quite to the.

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2018 19 levels, but uh they are trending upward. Our december runs were were higher than our january.

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Runs were higher than that of december, which were higher than that of november. This chart agrees the.

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Red line is fire runs, only the blue line is ems runs only, and the yellow line includes those two.

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Runs in addition to runs that require additional manpower or apparatus that medicaid calls.

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Our budget year, physical 23 requests, the impacts of the request are primarily in uh and most.

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Importantly, an increase in all non-administrative wages by five percent and the need for this is to.

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Be competitive in what is becoming an even more specialized job market, our starting.

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Pay for our firefighters is amongst the lowest in the state, and it's starting to it has been.

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Impacting our ability to recruit and retain.

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Quality personnel. In fact, over the last three years, I've been chief.

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We've had to remove or terminate eight firefighters within their first year of probation.

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Due to not being able to complete the quarterly requirements and competencies that are required,.

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Of them to become a permanent firefighter, and this after we've even reduced the.

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Or lowered the standard for uh for hiring these firefighters as far as their ems level,.

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We primarily require we required an advanced emt up until two years ago.

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And we reduced that requirement to a basic emt to get more firefighters in the tour.

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This also brings firefighters and officers closer to the average wage.

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Amongst comparable cities and towns and I'll show you a chart in a moment that will really.

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Demonstrate how far behind our firefighters are amongst the state average and the state median.

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As far as in regards to other full-time fire departments in the state and again, this will.

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Help to attract more qualified and experienced firefighters and lateral transfers from other.

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Departments also, an impact to the fy 23 budget quest is an increase in our lead coverage accounts.

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Back in fiscal year 20 we were approved to hire an additional four firefighters so that we could have.

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A total of 15 firefighters per shift, three officers and 12 firefighters.

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Since that time, in at that time, the five-year plan was to eventually increase that workforce to 16.

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With a minimum of 15., however, in order to do that in order to increase our minimum staffing, we need.

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To increase the coverage accounts for annual lead, sick leave and workers comp, we were going.

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To start that five-year plan with incremental increases over the next five years, however, in.

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In fiscal year, 20 and 21, the impact of covet has slowed that so we want to get back on track. This.

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Year and increase those coverage accounts to allow us to move to a gradual increase from 13.

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Minimum to 14 minutes- and this will be our first measurable increase.

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In the overtime account for the past three fiscal years and I'll note that there with.

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These two increases: there are no new programs or positions being proposed.

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Only looking to strengthen the force that we have and uh and attract more firefighters into the door.

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This wage comparison is just one example of uh of the need to to adjust the wages of our.

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Firefighters, the orange bar is the average of uh our firefighters. Our firefighters are.

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Our wage scaled over three different uh for three different ways through emt basic emt, intermediate.

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Or advanced and emt paramedic- and this number represents an average of those three starting pay.

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And the yellow bar is the new hampshire state average of those same average.

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Pay grades amongst new hampshire fire departments and the green is the median.

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Meaning half or above that half are below that, as you can see that we are, we are quite.

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Quite a ways behind and we need to catch that back up in order to attract quality personnel.

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The summary of expenditures for this year's uh fiscal year, 23 request you.

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Can see the increase in the salaries is 235 304 or 5.6 over fiscal year, 22.

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And then in our overtime, which is the coverage accounts that I spoke about, is 96 000 or 13.6.

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Percent over last year, other impacts to the budget of which are out of our control.

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Are the increase in retirement to 123, 725 or 6.9 percent, and health insurance is 22.5 for 245 000.

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The above columns represent contractual obligations which makes up ninety four point.

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Six, eight percent of our budget leaving five point three, two percent for essentially what is overhead.

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And what uh we can spend to to run the department keep the lights on, keep the trucks running.

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Without the wage adjustment, our request would still include the increase in the coverage.

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Accounts it would bring that request down to a 6.01 from a 7.7 percent over last year.

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However, I would emphasize that our primary goal, my primary goal, would.

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Be to present a budget that includes the wage adjustments and the coverage accounts, increases.

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So our total department budget request will be ten million five hundred and seventy two thousand one.

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Hundred and twenty five, this represents a seven hundred, fifty five thousand seven hundred and four.

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Dollar, increase over fy22 or seven point: seven: zero percent. Again the effects on the budget are.

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The five percent wage adjustment to be competitive and comparable to other departments in the state.

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And I would note that that increase would be split over the fiscal year.

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Meaning half of that wage adjustment would happen on july 1 of the fiscal year.

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And half would would come at january, 1 of the fiscal year to help defray some of that cost.

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And again, the increase in ship coverage accounts, emergency, recall, earned time and workers comp.

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For a total of 13.6 over fy 22., this budget maintains the current level of service.

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Stations and resources it incrementally increases minimum staffing from 13 to 14.

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And again, it improves our ability to hire and retain quality personnel.

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A five-year strategic plan which was derailed two two years ago now to continue the strength.

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Continue to strengthen and maintain the reliable delivery, essential emergency and non-emergency.

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Services, so that we're able to provide one staff, fire truck and one staff needle into.

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Each of the three geographic response zones of the city in each of our stations and then.

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Do again to appropriately appropriately fund the salary benefits and shift coverage lines.

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To ensure that those 15 on duty, firefighters and officers are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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That concludes the budget presentation there. Any questions happy to answer them.

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How many openings are at the portsmouth fire department now.

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Do you anticipate any coming from retirement? The question is: how many openings do we have.

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In the department right now, we are looking to hire to cover eight positions right now,.

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And we do expect we anticipate at least one more retirement, but it has been announced all right.

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They would bring us up to our budgeted allowance of 15 on duty. The 1314 is the minimum staffing.

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That we would be able to carry so the a would bring it back to minimum staffing.

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Eight would bring us back to having 15 15 auntie shifts.

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Just a couple chief sure um on the essential services outside of covet right for the last.

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Couple years, has there been any other increase in those areas that we have done? I feel like this is.

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Has grown over the years and we just keep adding more.

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Activities or services- maybe they're just different icons here, but.

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The question is, has our I guess, has our mission grown or expanded.

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I would say we're doing we're doing more of the same essential services that we always.

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Had with the exception of um with the emergency management portion of that essential service, that.

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Fell under the covid response fell under emergency management, emergency service, emergency management.

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Which entails at you know, as you know, covet 19 testing covered 19 vaccine clinics.

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And whatever else we could do to help the community and.

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And the state and the health networks um push out that that message or the the vaccines themselves.

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And then on the 5 wages um projection.

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I mean being competitive is important right like we have. This is not a coveted.

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Issue we've had this problem even before, like I've heard it even before you were cheap, so.

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In addition to, I spoke about the eight firefighters that we had released from our.

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Probation because they weren't uh meeting the competencies, we've also had four firefighters.

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Leave our department to other fire departments for better pay and we've also had two firefighters.

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After receiving their conditional offers of employment, which would state what they make.

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Turn us down because they either weren't willing to take the pay cut, or they had a job offer that.

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Paid more as an example, the city of concord last week put an ad out.

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For a firefighter paramedic, they do the same exact thing. We do similar size fire department.

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A little bit bigger but um same job and their their starting paid for paramedic was ten thousand.

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Dollars more than we can offer and as you're aware that the cost of living in the concrete area is.

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Easily two-thirds less than the cost of living in our area, so we need to. We need to do a better job.

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At being competitive, I think it's, um I think it's pretty well known, it's well known, amongst.

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Our you know our rank and file here and us and administration. I think it's pretty well known.

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Amongst the city as well to the city, staff and city management that we need to, we need to be.

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Able to offer a more competitive package to get more qualified firefighters in the door and.

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You know we we owe it. I feel, as as the chief that we owe it to the existing firefighters.

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And officers that are here as well as the citizens and the public that we serve that.

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We bring in the highest quality firefighters that we can to. uh You know to carry this. You know this.

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This uh you know, tradition of of service that we carry here into the into the future. I heard a lot.

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Of quality in that statement great and qualified, and we're not getting that. What is the risk.

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That we have to the public and to to everybody here when there's a cost to that, there's well.

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Primarily, there's a cost to that, there's a cost of that. I mean these eight firefighters that.

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You know didn't make it through probation, let's say the average time that they were.

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Here you know, amongst the interval was six to seven months. That's six to seven months.

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Of one-on-one training that you know essentially just was a waste. We there were costs involved and.

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Outfitting them and their gear and onboarding them. You know so there's that cost those are hard costs.

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Those are hard costs and I'm not willing to water down or or reduce the requirements.

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In that one year of probation, I I just think that would be a disservice to everybody. The people that.

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We serve and the people that serve the people we serve, but I help others. I think it puts the.

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Team's at risk, when you're not getting qualified candidates right, that's what I meant: yeah. Okay,.

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And the only other one is the budget. um I think you have it up right now,.

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Just a call out of note that six point three five without the five I think six.

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Point three: five without the five percent is higher than it typically is that status quo.

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But I think a lot of that is around retirement and health insurance. I think.

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We don't have any control over that those are given to us. That's accurate right.

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And I understand that you know a 7.7 over last year.

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Is going to be a sticker shock to taxpayers to counselors to perhaps yourselves as commissioners.

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But understand that over the last two fiscal years we have held to an increase in our budget request.

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Only to that which we needed to cover because of fixed costs, which were out of our control.

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And again our our coverage accounts haven't changed in the last three fiscal years. We've.

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Maintained a zero increase in those and uh which just you know it's. Unfortunately, we have to catch.

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Up at some point and um knowing I think everybody knew the you know knew at some point over the.

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Last two years, if at some point we're gonna have to catch up and as you're aware, the cost.

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Of inflation now is is skyrocketing and uh you know we need to. We need to catch up to that too.

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Highest in 20 plus years, I have no further questions. uh Just just one cheek.

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If, on the 911 als emergency response that we have here under essential services,.

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What what do you call lift assists, unlocked doors, pd requesting.

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Behavioral behavioral problems is: is there another category that we can put that in.

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Too I mean that's well yeah, it's not an emergency. You sort of covered a range of things there.

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Ellipticist, it may may fall under community service, it may fall under a medical. Eight call.

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And the ellipticity, what could what comes into the ellipticist could be something much more serious.

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um So that's true as a medical aid call unless it is truly ellipticist and then it's.

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You know that falls under community service, um uh lockouts community service.

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Just those are, those are the types of I mean 911 and advanced life, support response. Obviously,.

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Is a true medical emergency that that we're responding to and just looking for a way to get.

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More information on that page because people don't know about all unless you listen to it right, watch.

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Watch the guys in action, you don't hear it. I could feel a few pages of the things that.

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Aren't that don't fall into a category here that we do, you know almost every day and uh the cat in.

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The tree and then yeah yeah all that stuff wires down water in my basement yeah. I think that goes.

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Along with my first question, was we have these essential services, they're very large buckets.

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And each one of them in itself has grown over the years I mean fire prevention, like alone, has.

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Grown and as the city is growing more and more of that is happening. The education community services.

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At the adding of the ems, I'm seeing more marine and waterfront calls come in right, like so. Each.

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One of those has continued to grow, even though you still show the four or seven.

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Icons of the buckets right, the fire services, become a catch-all for.

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For anything that a person doesn't know what, if they don't know what to do, they call us.

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I don't want it will show up and whether or not we know the answer, we'll try to find it, and we just.

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Do our best at solving whatever problem they have right now and a lot of times. That's just you know.

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They need they return from the hospital from a hip injury and they need help getting to the second.

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Floor of the home and there's literally no one else, that's going to help them so we're going to.

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Show up in our ambulance and we're going to have two firefighters get off with a specialized chair.

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To bring them upstairs and make sure that they're all set and that they can get to where they.

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Need to get to without falling and do a little education on on fall, risk and and they're going.

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To go back in service and that's an example of of a community service that doesn't really fall under.

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You know anything here, but is an important service and people remember that.

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I I just said two things so.

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It appears that every time you're called you do respond right, no matter what the call is.

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Somebody from the group somebody from the fire department goes to do something with them, so we.

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Don't turn away calls? We don't prioritize, I'm sure if there's multiple causes some prioritization but.

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The fact that the firefighter responds to everything that other people can't.

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Or won't or don't know what to do, they call the fire department and the second thing is.

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In lowering a standard for hiring, so sometimes the public companies that are out there.

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They'll lower their standards to get more people through the door. You've taken one step for that.

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And I don't think it's fair to the taxpayer. It's absolutely not fair to the people of the.

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Portsmouth fire department they've worked pretty darn hard to get here, maintain those there's a.

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There's a pride: that's involved with that, but it's also a safer department because of that.

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So I I hope that someone doesn't put out will just lower your standards, slower.

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To hire, I don't think I have no interest in that. I can't speak to the other commissioners, but I'm.

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Pretty sure they sing the same thing and- and I know you and members of the department that.

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Don't want to do that. Nobody wants to work with somebody next to them in this line of work that.

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Doesn't have the proper traded things and you won't let that happen. No, it's not ideal. I mean.

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Like I said, we lowered the ems standard to come through the door, but it's important to know that.

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They have to have that advanced emt as a condition employment within one year. So after the first year.

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If they pass, that course, then you know they're as qualified as anyone else who came through the door.

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Sure, but that was a that was a decision made between labor and management to to.

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To allow that minimum level of ems requirement through the doorways we felt we were missing.

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Quality people, you know, meaning people of good character because they didn't have that advanced.

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Ent yet- and you know, given them, if we found you know high uh potential candidates that had a.

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Character which we were looking for and they were able to get that certification for one year, then.

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That would be a win for us and it did open up the door. I think for.

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I mean we've hired a few that turned out to be that that turned out to be the case.

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So further questions we need a motion to approve- or I guess for proof and send with.

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City council of the proposed budget, history of 2023.

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I've made the motion that the commission of who this budget has presented.

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With increases, as presented, certainly have been reasonable.

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Discussions and reasonable circumstances to consider all all that was just explained to us.

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I wholeheartedly second.

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City manager, because then she has to yeah and I'll meet with her next week. I believe.

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I'm including that, yes, yes, thank you.

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Public hearing has been closed. Moving on to the next agenda item, we have a record.