The proposed changes in the Suppression staffing model of the Fire Department by the Budget Analyst would lead to an increase in overtime expenditures of approximately $5,376,085 before the new salary increases for FY 2001-2002. This figure does not include the proposed staffing levels for the Central Emergency Communication Center (CECC) and the inclusion of temporary modified duty (TMD) in the relief factor. The Budget Analyst is recommending staffing to be doubled at the CECC. It is estimated that this would require an additional allocation of 56 FTE at a cost of $4,760,000. This level of staffing for the CECC is excessive and unwarranted. It is also recommended that the Department include TMD in the calculation of FTEs required for daily staffing. This proposal is estimated to cost an additional $7,368,650 and an increase of 86.69 FTE. The total cost of these proposals, based on FY 2000-2001 salary figures would be an additional $17.5 million and an increase of 142.69 FTE.

The budget for 2001-02 allocates 1,534.58 FTE for the Fire Department to provide fire and emergency medical services to the City and County of San Francisco in fulfilling the 354 daily staffing requirement (includes staffing for the Bureau of Fire Investigation). The relief factor was updated and included in the development of the 2001-02 proposed budget subsequently approved by the Board of Supervisors. The relief factor used was 1.235 and was comprised of vacation leave (7.9 %), comp time (3.9 %), sick pay (6.3 %), and disability (5.5 %). Subsequent review by the Department has discovered that the relief factors used in the approved budget are lower than actuals.

In providing ambulance services on a 24-hour basis, the Department employs Firefighter/Paramedics. The shift schedules for all such personnel are 24 hours and are already included in the suppression-staffing model.

The following will also have an impact on the relief factor needed for 2002-03:

·Implementation of the Pilot One & One Program - This program will necessitate additional WDOs above the minimum required daily staffing levels on days where the number of H3 Firefighter/Paramedics are not sufficient to meet the needs of the program and still provide the needed level of medical services. This situation will be offset as the number of H3 Firefighter/Paramedics in the Department increases.

·Vacation Accruals - The amount of vacation granted and the relief factor may increase as Local 798 and the City meet per the MOU to develop a vacation accrual plan which is consistent with the Administrative Code.

·Compensatory Time and Intermittent Day Vacations - The quotas for the compensatory time and intermittent day vacations have not increased proportionately as the minimum daily staffing levels increased. Past administrations, in an effort to reduce overtime, did not increase these quotas. This area will need to be addressed.

As the model was created in the last budget cycle, the Department will be looking at improvements in the forecasting to include items that have been detailed in this report.

· Recommendation of Auditor"s report

2.2.1 Continue Use of the Different Automated Staffing Models to Calculate the Overall Relief Factor and FTEs Required for all Fixed-Post Positions in Suppression, Emergency Medical Services and the Radio Group

· Assessment of Department

The Department concurs in principal with the general recommendation of the audit.

The purpose of the staffing model is to determine the FTE needed to appropriately provide for minimum staffing. The analysis conducted by the Budget Analyst would underestimate the level of staffing needed and subsequently require an excessive use of overtime to maintain minimum staffing. If the number of employees scheduled for duty is used, the actual staffing required to maintain a minimum daily staffing level is understated and would not provide sufficient FTEs to off-set the impact of vacations, use of comp time, disability and sick leave.

The Fire Department developed and forwarded the staffing models for all fixed-post positions outlined in the Budget Analyst"s report. The Suppression Model reflects the 354 minimum daily staffing and represents the Fire Department"s 24-hour staffing needs. CECC personnel are not included in that model as they work a different shift and tour schedule.

·Department Action plan and timeline

The Department"s efforts in this area are ongoing.

· Recommendation of Auditor"s report

2.2.2 Utilize All Leave Categories in Calculating the Relief Factor

·Assessment of Department

The Department will analyze the recommendation of the audit based on the following.

· Calculating the Relief Factor

The current staffing model was developed in December 2000/Janaury 2001. As part of the budget process, the proposed budget for 2001-02 was developed in conjunction with the Mayor"s Budget Office and incorporated the use of 10 months of actuals and 2 months of projected leave experience as the budget was due for submission to the Board of Supervisors in June.

The staffing model used by the Department includes relief factors for vacations, projected use of comp time, sick and disability leaves. However, the Budget Analyst recommends the Department includes a relief factor for temporary modified duty. The Department will analyze this recommendation as delineated further in this report.

Using the Budget Analyst relief factor of 21 percent instead of 25 percent (not including temporary modified duty) the number of employees scheduled daily would decrease on average by 14.16 necessitating 14.16 additional WDOs per day. The estimated cost of these WDOs is $5.86 million or an increase of $1.66 million ($5.86 million overtime cost less $4.2 million in reduced staffing indicated in the Audit Report).

In order to verify and clearly demonstrate the validity of the suppression model calculations conducted by the Department, one can take the average number of personnel on vacation, comp time, sick leave and disability and derive the average number needed to be scheduled for duty used in the FY 2001-2002 budget. This information is used to subsequently derive the FTE count as follows:

· Issues Affecting the Relief Factor Computation by the Budget Analyst

The relief factor for vacations and compensatory time usage was based on the annual quotas as needed per the Local 798 MOU and the accrual rates based on years of service. Like all other City employees, firefighters are entitled to paid vacation as dictated by the City Charter: after one year"s continuous service, 10 days; after five years, 15 days; and after 15 years, 20 days.

The SFFD based the annual budget on the need to properly provide vacation leave for employees based on the number of years of service with the City and County of San Francisco. The Department has included this analysis and continues to monitor what will be required for leave usage in the 2002-03 budget based on service time. As employees are entitled to be able to request and use compensatory time accumulated, which is also supported by the Local 798 MOU; the SFFD has included this usage in the budget process.

The audit report incorrectly states that the Department"s leave category figures were short time segments by using only eight months of data to calculate vacation usage.

The vacation relief factor was correctly based on 12 months to determine the average number of vacations required per day based on years of service.

Annually, the uniform personnel assigned to Suppression sign-up for vacations and intermittent daily vacations. In reviewing the years of service for all of these employees, the Department has calculated a need to budget a relief factor close to 12 percent, which includes the use of compensatory time.

The vacation leave issue as reported in Files 01-1843 and 01-1868 to the Audit, Labor and Government Efficiency Committee on November 13, 2001 is one of the areas that the Department will continue to review.

In reference to Table 2.2.4, the SFFD figures used are more accurate than those suggested by the auditor. For example, the figure of 28 used for vacations represents the average number of members in suppression scheduled for vacation per day as allowed by the vacation quotas. To assume an average of less than 28 members off per day based on past figures is very inaccurate considering recent increases of the average scheduled for duty. Reliance on the auditors" figures would significantly underestimate the number of members off duty and substantially increase the use of overtime.

In reviewing Table 2.2.3 of the Budget Analyst"s Report, the Budget Analyst does not provide sufficient detail to determine the method used in calculating the proposed relief factors outlined. If it were based on actuals for sick leave usage and disability, the percentages would be 6.9 percent for sick leave and 5.7 percent for disability. These figures are calculated using the Daily Average Absence Report, noted as Exhibit 2.2.2 in the Budget Analyst"s Report. This exhibit provides 12 months of actual data for review. To calculate the sick leave relief factor, the average total of sick leave of 24.56 from the "TOT S/P" column was divided by minimum staffing strength of 352.05 from the "0800 STRENGTH" column which equals to 6.9 percent. In comparison, the Department is noted in Table 2.2.3 as proposing a sick leave relief factor of 7 percent which is in line with actuals.

Also, to calculate the disability relief factor, the average total of disability leave of 20.06 from the "D/P" column was divided by minimum staffing strength of 352.05 from the "0800 STRENGTH" column which equals to 5.7 percent. It appears that the Budget Analyst may have used the "0800 STRENGTH" for 2000-01 of 352.05 as the denominator for the prior four years. By using the 352.05 rather that the actual 0800 strength for the previous years, their figures for percentage of sick leave and disability leave would reflect a lower number that what was actually experienced. The Department inserted 352.05 in the prior years and the result was similar to the figures of the Budget Analyst as noted in Table 2.2.3.

In comparison, the Department is noted in Table 2.2.3 as proposing a relief factor of 6 percent which is in line with actuals. If the average were used for the past four years, the relief factor for sick leave would be 6.5 percent. The following table outlines the sick leave and disability leave using the actual 0800 strength figures for each year:

As a point of reference, the following comparison is provided to delineate the difference in the use of the relief figures by the Department and the Budget Analyst and associated increase in costs with the Budget Analyst"s figures. The comparison is based on the information already outlined in this section.

The average number of 28 vacations per day is based on the total number of hours an employee can accumulate in one year driven by the years of service and the requirements stipulated in the Local 798 MOU Section 19 - Vacation Leave. The SFFD is in the process of evaluating and recalculating this figure. Upon initial evaluation, the average number of vacations per day that are required to be scheduled is 35. This initial review is based on the accumulation rate of Department members based on years of service with the City and County of San Francisco.

Comparison Analysis

(Not including Temporary Modified Duty)

· Overtime and TMD

The Department will analyze the recommendations of the Auditors to include a relief computation for light duty personnel.

Historically, the SFFD has not included temporary modified duty as part of relief factor calculations. In the past members were not placed on modified duty as they are today. For the most part modified duty was only extended to members with work-related injuries or illnesses. This is not currently the case. Even thou provisions in the new MOU address this issue, the numbers are such that they have a significant impact on the daily staffing levels.

All fire and emergency medical uniform personnel have to be suppression-ready regardless of the position they occupy. A person with limited duty restrictions cannot perform the full functions of a firefighter. Based on the Budget Analyst"s proposal, incorporating a temporary modified duty relief factor would increase the relief factor by 3.39 percent or increase in total staffing needed by 42.22 FTE at a cost of $3,588,700. This is calculated using the Budget Analyst"s recommendations to incorporate an average of 12 members off TMD per day.

In the Department"s initial review, the daily average of TMD would average around 20 per day. The inclusion of this figure would increase the relief factor by 5.65 percent or an increase in total staffing of 86.69 FTE at an estimated cost of $7,368,650.

·Department Action plan and timeline

The Department"s efforts in this area are ongoing. The Department anticipates the completion of its analysis by January 2003.

· Issue / recommendation of Auditor"s report

2.2.3 Utilize Historical Data from the Daily Average Absence Report, Based on Averages Covering the Previous Four Year Period

· Initial assessment of Department staff

The Department agrees in principal with the general recommendation of the audit.

In reviewing Table 2.2.3 of the Budget Analyst"s Report, the Budget Analyst does not provide sufficient detail to determine the method used in calculating the proposed relief factors outlined. If it were based on actuals for sick leave usage and disability, the percentages would be 6.9 percent for sick leave and 5.7 percent for disability. These figures are calculated using the Daily Average Absence Report, noted as Exhibit 2.2.2 in the Budget Analyst"s Report. This exhibit provides 12 months of actual data for review. To calculate the sick leave relief factor, the average total of sick leave of 24.56 from the "TOT S/P" column was divided by minimum staffing strength of 352.05 from the "0800 STRENGTH" column which equals to 6.9 percent. In comparison, the Department is noted in Table 2.2.3 as proposing a sick leave relief factor of 7 percent which is in line with actuals.

Also, to calculate the disability relief factor, the average total of disability leave of 20.06 from "D/P" column was divided by minimum staffing strength of 352.05 from the "0800 STRENGTH" column which equals to 5.7 percent. It appears that the Budget Analyst may have used the "0800 STRENGTH" for 2000-01 of 352.05 as the denominator for the prior four years. By using the 352.05 rather that the actual 0800 strength for the previous years, their figures for percentage of sick leave and disability leave would reflect a lower number that what was actually experienced. The Department inserted 352.005 in the prior years and the result was similar to the figures of the Budget Analyst as noted in Table 2.2.3.

In comparison, the Department is noted in Table 2.2.3 as proposing a relief factor of 6 percent which is in line with actuals. Even if the average were used for the past four years, the relief factors for sick leave would be 6.5 percent. The following table outlines the sick leave and disability leave using the actual 0800 strength figures for each year:

The Daily Average Absences Report (Auditor"s Exhibit 2.2.2) reflects only the absences for most Suppression units. It does not include the leaves for Arson Investigation and the Chief of Department"s Aide, which are part of the 354 as well as the leave history of the CECC. It is agreed that since CECC impacts the availability of the Suppression staffing that these factors need to be included in the calculations of the appropriate relief factors for the Department.

The goal of the Department"s model is to most efficiently staff the 354 fixed post positions. It is the Department"s position that while this model is new, it is far more accurate and efficient than the model proposed by auditor. Experience in use of the Department"s model will yield increasingly better results and predictions that are more accurate. The Department will continue to refine the model in an effort to generate the most accurate staffing predictions in a constantly changing environment.

·Department Action plan and timeline

The Department anticipates the completion of its analysis by January 2003.

· Issue / recommendation of Auditor"s report

2.2.4 Separately track and Report on Attendance and Leave Usage for Personnel in Emergency Medical Services and in the Radio Group

· Initial assessment of Department staff

The Department concurs in principal to the recommendation of the audit.

Tracking the leave of firefighter/paramedics separately than that of firefighters is already tracked for internal purposes. Presently these figures are deemed not accurate enough for inclusion into the model because of ongoing changes in the emergency medical delivery system. The affect on leaves, specifically sick leave and disability leave, cannot be determined accurately at this time. The Department intends to include these figures in the model when enough data are collected.

One FTE at the Communication Center is equivalent to 2,184 hours annually. Additionally, the minimum staffing levels for the Comm Center are different between the two shifts (morning and evening). The Communication Center staffing model breaks down the two shifts and the FTE needed. The calculations proposed by the Analyst"s Office would overstate the total number of FTE needed to staff the Communication Center by over 56 FTE depending on the number applied at an estimated cost of $4,760,000 using the costs estimate of $85,000 per FTE in the Budget Analyst"s report.

As part of the staffing information forwarded to the Budget Analyst"s Office, the Communication Center staffing model provided for a relief factor based on the Suppression absences. As stated earlier in this response, the Daily Average Absences Report reflects only the absences for most Suppression units. It does not include the leaves for Arson Investigation and the Chief of Department"s Aide, which are part of the 354 as well as the leave history of the CECC. It is agreed that since CECC impacts the availability of the Suppression staffing that these factors need to be included in the calculations of the appropriate relief factors for the Department. The Department is in the process of reviewing these data.

In a cursory review of actual leave usage; the Department cannot substantiate the 17 percent represented in the report by the Budget Analyst as the historical absentee factor for Department members assigned to the Comm Center. The Department"s initial review on absences in the Comm Center over the past 6 months shows the absentee rate to be approximately 34 percent. This figure takes into account only sick leave, vacation, disability leave, and comp time.

·Department Action plan and timeline

The Department intends to formalize the tracking and reporting criteria by December 2002.

· Issue / recommendation of Auditor"s report

2.2.5 Prepare Written Procedures that Describe Construction and Application of the Models Sufficient for other Finance Staff to Appropriately and Correctly Make Use of Them.

· Initial assessment of Department staff

The Department agrees in principal to the recommendation of the audit.

The issue of documentation of the staffing model was expressed by the Department to the Budget Analyst in the exit interview on January 4, 2002. As such, the Department has already begun this process and will continue to refine the staffing models as service requirements change.

·Department Action plan and timeline

The Department"s efforts in this effort are ongoing.

· Issue / recommendation of Auditor"s report

2.2.6 Work with staff in the Assignment Office and Human Resources Division to ensure accuracy of leave data captured in the Department"s automated system.

· Initial assessment of Department staff

The Department agrees in principal to the recommendation of the audit.

As indicated to the Budget Analyst, the Department has already identified areas of concern in the data outlined in the Daily Average Absences Report and will continue to identify and correct any issues.

·Department Action plan and timeline

The Department"s efforts in this effort are ongoing.