Uniform Staff Performing Administrative Functions

The Fire Department uses uniform staff in administrative positions that do not require specific firefighter skills, resulting in inefficient use of staff and increased costs to the Department from higher salaries and fringe benefits. Although the percentage of civilian staff in the Department has increased over the past three fiscal years, from 5.4 percent in FY 1998-1999 and 5.8 percent in FY 1999-2000, to 6.3 percent in FY 2000-2001, the Department continues to place uniform staff in administrative positions. Using uniform staff in administrative positions results in increased costs to the Department from higher salary and fringe benefit costs for uniform staff compared to civilian staff. Also, by using uniform staff in administrative positions, the Department decreases the number of staff available to meet minimum staffing levels in suppression and increases its overtime liability for back-filling suppression posts.

The Department has provided several reasons for using uniform staff in positions not requiring firefighter skills, including delays in processing applications and hiring civilian staff, attrition of civilian staff due to limited promotional opportunities within the Department, and the need for knowledge of the Fire Department in performing job duties. The Department has also stated that administrative positions provide avenues to middle management for firefighters. The Department should designate specific administrative positions as "administrative officer" positions to meet its goal of training uniform staff for middle management positions. For example, the Sacramento Fire Department has designated specific positions within the Department as "administrative captain" positions to fulfill the requirement that fire captains have two years administrative captain experience to promote to battalion chief. The San Francisco Fire Department could designate administrative officer positions within the Division of Training, the Public Information Office, Bureau of Equipment, and Bureau of Investigative Services to facilitate middle management training for uniform staff. Except for specially designated positions, the Department should determine whether positions are civilian or uniform based on the job duties of the position, and seek other methods for addressing personnel problems in the Department. Delays in hiring staff and staff attrition need to be addressed through changes in personnel policies rather than using uniform staff for administrative functions. If attrition among civilian staff is a concern of the Department, increasing the number of civilian positions would increase opportunities for civilian staff to promote into new positions. The Department should also use other methods to provide avenues to middle management for firefighters and to access special knowledge of the Department, such as committees and workgroups to offer policy and decision making experience to firefighter staff and to advise administrative staff in Department procedures.

We recommend that the Department convert specific uniform positions to civilian classifications in the Bureau of Equipment, Facilities Renovation, the 911 Project, Community Affairs, Bureau of Assignments, and Bureau of Fire Prevention. Assigning civilian staff to these positions would result is cost savings to the Department from lower civilian salaries and fringe benefits, and from more efficient assignment of personnel. In many instances, as discussed below, the salary rate for the appropriate civilian classification is lower than the uniform salary, and many uniform staff receive additional administrative assignment pay of $175 bi-weekly, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Fire Fighters Union and the City. Retirement benefit costs are also higher for uniform than civilian staff¹. By replacing uniform staff with civilian staff when appropriate, firefighters could be returned to suppression, potentially reducing short staffing in the field and overtime expenditures for back-filling positions.

Bureau of Equipment

Procurement/ Distribution Center

The Procurement/ Distribution Center is currently staffed with one H-2 Firefighter position, six 1934 Storekeeper positions and one temporary limited-duty H-2 Firefighter position. The permanent H-2 Firefighter position is responsible for purchasing, distributing and accounting for medical and station house supplies. This position works with vendors for purchasing new equipment and evaluates and processes purchase bids. Although the job duties for this position do not require special firefighter skills or knowledge, the Department has stated that the technical knowledge of uniform staff in this position contribute to cost savings by evaluating requests for equipment and supplies and eliminating unnecessary requests. However, the Apparatus Committee, which is chaired by the Captain of the Bureau of Equipment, is responsible for investigating equipment needs and interviewing vendors, and Committee proposals for new equipment must by approved by the Chief of Operations. The EMS Division management is responsible for decisions regarding the purchase of new medical equipment. Additionally, the Captain of the Bureau supervises ordering of equipment and supplies. Because the H-2 Firefighter position in the Procurement/ Distribution Center is responsible for purchase, distribution and accounting of supplies, we recommend that this position be converted to a civilian classification, 1952 Purchaser, which conforms with the actual job duties of the position. The limited-duty Firefighter position has participated in the development of an inventory tracking and control system, including developing a procurement and distribution tracking system and setting up a bar code system. The Department proposes to create a new H-19 position for inventory tracking and control in the FY 2002-2003 budget. This report has not evaluated the need for an additional position in the Procurement/ Distribution Center, but we would recommend against any new Procurement/ Distribution Center position proposed by the Department in the FY 2002-2003 being classified as a uniform position.

Fire Mechanics

The Bureau of Equipment employs seven H-2 Firefighters to serve as mechanics for Department vehicles. These Firefighters perform the routine duties of mechanics, including picking up and delivering equipment to the field, routine servicing of equipment, developing specifications for new equipment, inspecting new vehicles at the plant of manufacture and on-site at delivery, transporting vehicles to distant locations for repairs, and other comparable duties. Incumbents in these positions are on call to provide equipment service at the fire scene for second alarm or greater fires. Currently, these seven positions are included in the minimum daily staffing requirements. Although the Department states that these positions can be assigned to fire fighting duties, their primary responsibility is to ensure that the apparatus remains in good working order during a fire. Because these positions serve a mechanic rather than a fire fighting role, we recommend that the Department convert these positions to 7381 Automotive Mechanic, by filling vacant positions with civilian personnel^.2

Facilities Renovation

Facilities Renovation is currently staffed by one Captain of Support Services (H-30) who is responsible for Fire Department facilities maintenance and repairs and related responsibilities. Under General Order 00 A-72, the Captain of Support Services job functions include receiving building repair requests from Fire Department facilities and coordinating necessary work with the Department of Public Works or other appropriate agencies, conducting monthly facility inspections of the headquarters building, conducting quarterly evacuation drills at the headquarters building, investigating complaints regarding street widths and hydrant placements, working with outside contractors and architects regarding fire fighting practices and fire apparatus access, and other related duties. General Order 00 A-72 specifies the required job skills and knowledge, including business, computer and accounting skills and general knowledge of building construction and maintenance. Under the General Order, special firefighter skills are not required to perform the functions of this position. We recommend that this position be converted to a 7262 Maintenance Planner. The Maintenance Planner oversees maintenance, repair and construction of facilities and equipment, and minimum qualifications require experience as a maintenance estimator, including developing preventive maintenance systems and working with computer-based maintenance and scheduling software.

911 Project

The Fire Department established the 911 Project in 1998 as a temporary project to facilitate and coordinate the consolidation of dispatch services in the new dispatch center and assist with training of Department staff in the new computer system. Currently the 911 Project has three staff, one H-20 Lieutenant serving as project manager, and two other Department officers who are returning to the field. Although the Department has identified the need for long term planning and training for the computer system, the Department has not yet determined the relationship of the 911 Project to the Department"s Management Information System (MIS) division. Most likely, the Department will fold the 911 Project into MIS and if the Department creates new permanent positions, such positions will be requested in the FY 2002-2003 budget. Although the Department has not determined if positions will be requested in the budget or if the positions will be classified as uniform or civilian, the Department has stated that uniform staff can provide special knowledge to the application of the computer system to the Department. As discussed above, we recommend that, if the Department requests new MIS positions, the MIS positions be classified as civilian positions, based on the job functions of that position. If the Department requires knowledge of the Department"s procedures in working with the computer system, uniform staff can be assigned to advise the Department, either through work groups or special projects.

Neighborhood Emergency Response Training (NERT) and Community Affairs

The Department uses uniform staff for the NERT Program Coordinator, filled by an H-20 Lieutenant, and Community Affairs Coordinator, filled by an H-18 Coordinator of Community Affairs. The NERT Program Coordinator is responsible for evaluating and revising training materials and continuing education programs, recruiting and training NERT instructors among Fire Department staff, working with the community and other City departments to inform the public of the program and to schedule NERT presentations, prepare and distribute the NERT newsletter, solicit and acquire funding for the annual NERT Train-the-Trainer class, and performing related administrative duties. The Community Affairs Coordinator coordinates community education programs and provides presentations regarding fire prevention and safety, recruits and schedules Fire Department members to provide safety programs, procures and distributes educational materials, and performs other related duties. Both the NERT Program Coordinator and Community Affairs Coordinator positions provide primarily logistical and administrative support for their programs. The NERT Program Coordinator makes presentations to community groups, businesses and other City departments to market the program and discuss disaster preparedness, and represents the Fire Department, including attending meetings, of organizations and committees responsible for emergency preparedness. The Community Affairs Coordinator makes community presentations regarding fire prevention, code violations, fire safety skills and related issues to community groups, including schools, employee groups, senior centers and other organizations. Although the NERT Program Coordinator and the Community Affairs Coordinator work with the community and make public presentations regarding earthquake preparedness, fire safety, and related issues, these programs also recruit firefighter staff with the necessary skills to meet the community"s requests for information. The Community Affairs Coordinator also counsels juvenile fire setters regarding the consequences of playing with fire, after evaluation and referral by arson, human services, or mental health.³

The chief responsibilities of the NERT Program Coordinator and Community Affairs Coordinator positions include administration, logistics, and outreach, including providing presentations regarding basic fire safety and earthquake preparedness information. The major job functions could be performed effectively by civilian staff, both reducing salary and fringe benefit costs to the Department and releasing uniform staff for fire suppression duties. The NERT Program Coordinator position is currently filled by an H-20 Lieutenant who rotates to suppression, but the Community Affairs Coordinator position is filled by a permanent H-18 Coordinator of Community Affairs. We recommend that these positions be converted to 1314 Public Relations Officer. Pursuant to the Civil Service job description, the Public Relations Officer classification is responsible for developing, organizing, directing and evaluating comprehensive programs to inform the public of the activities and objectives of the Department.

Bureau of Assignments

The Bureau of Assignments is responsible for day to day staffing of suppression, including meeting minimum staffing levels and assigning the appropriate configuration of personnel and equipment. As part of the day to day staffing responsibility, Bureau of Assignment staff assign Department staff to fill daily staffing needs, prepare staffing projections for one, two and ten days in advance, record absences and place firefighters and officers on or off duty from sick leave or disability leave in conjunction with the medical leave supervisor, record scheduled days off, and use required computer programs. Four H-20 Lieutenants perform the day to day staffing function. A fifth H-20 Lieutenant performs assignment officer functions, which include tracking probationary firefighters, placing firefighters into new assignments, and supervising vacancy and vacation bids. The Bureau of Assignments is also responsible for preparing monthly reports on staffing, overtime and vacation use, and preparing other reports as required. According to General Order 97 A-86, the required job skills for the assignment function are knowledge of stations locations and personnel, verbal and written communication skills, and ability to analyze the filling of temporary officer assignments, and the desired job skills include basic computer skills and knowledge of personnel records and computer reports. General Order 97 A-86 does not identify firefighter skills or knowledge as part of the required or desired skills for the job.

The Bureau of Assignments is supervised by an H-40 Battalion Chief. The five H-20 Lieutenant positions rotate into the Bureau of Assignments for approximately 18 months. In the FY 2000-2001 budget, the Department included four new 1202 Personnel Clerk positions to perform day to day scheduling functions, supervised by an existing 1204 Senior Personnel Clerk position. Although the Department interviewed 13 qualified applicants and selected 4 of the applicants, the Department did not complete the hiring process. These four 1202 Personnel Clerk positions are included in the FY 2001-2002 budget but have not been filled.

This audit report has recommended that the Bureau of Assignments be placed under direct supervision of the Deputy Chief of Operations. In addition to transferring the Bureau of Assignments to the Operations Division, we recommend that the Bureau of Assignments staff be reconfigured to include one H-20 Lieutenant to oversee the Bureau, and to convert the one vacant existing 1204 Senior Personnel Clerk position and the four vacant existing 1202 Personnel Clerk positions to five 1203 Personnel Technician positions. We recommend that the Bureau of Assignments use the higher classification of 1203 Personnel Technician rather than the currently budgeted position of 1202 Personnel Clerk to reflect the level of skill and associated salary level required for the positions. Our recommendation would result in four H-20 Lieutenant positions and one H-40 Battalion Chief position being returned to suppression duties.⁴

Bureau of Fire Prevention

The Fire Department assigns both 6281 Fire Inspector and H-4 Inspector positions to the Bureau of Fire Prevention. The civilian classification was introduced in 1985 to handle special inspections, and the scope of the civilian classification has expanded since that time. In 1996, the MOU between the City and International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees (IFPTE) Local 21 provided wage parity between 6281 Fire Inspector and H-4 Inspector. The uniform job function differs from the civilian job function in that H-4 Inspectors maintain their firefighter status, including EMT (emergency medical technician) and CPR requirements. Accordingly, H-4 Inspectors are able to perform special detail duty for visiting dignitaries (approximately 12 times per year), participate in disaster plan operations, and attend greater alarms. Other than these responsibilities, the job duties of the two classifications are the same. In the FY 2001-2002 budget, the Department has 17 civilian Fire Inspector and 24 uniform Inspector positions.⁵ However, the Department plans to replace 6281 Fire Inspector positions with H-4 Inspector positions when the positions become vacant. According to the Fire Department, using H-4 Inspectors in these positions increases the Department"s flexibility by allowing the Department to assign H-4 Inspectors to suppression duties if the need were to arise. Also, the Department states that H-4 Inspector positions cost less than 6281 Fire Inspector positions because the City pays Social Security benefits, equal to 6.2 percent of salary up to $80,500 annually, for civilian employees but not for uniform employees. Because the City does not currently include the employer"s retirement contributions for either civilian or uniform employees in the budget, as discussed below, the fringe benefit expenditures in the budget are higher for civilian than uniform employees. However, the City"s total obligation for retirement benefits, including the portion of retirement benefits drawn down from the Retirement Fund surplus, is higher for uniform than for civilian employees, thus increasing the costs for H-4 Inspector positions compared to 6281 Fire Inspector positions. We recommend that 24 H-4 Inspector positions be converted to 6281 Fire Inspector positions through attrition, resulting in long-term cost savings by reducing the City"s total retirement benefit obligation. While recognizing that a small portion of the Bureau"s work comprises special detail duty, disaster plan operations, and attending greater alarms, the total amount of this work probably comprises less than one full time position. The Bureau can continue to fulfill this function with available H-4 staff and reallocate this work as H-4 positions are replaced with 6281 positions.

Conclusions

The Fire Department"s use of uniform staff in administrative positions that do not require specific firefighter skills results in inefficient use of staff and increased costs to the Department from higher salaries and fringe benefits. The reasons provided by the Department for using uniform staff in positions that could be filled by civilian staff are often tangential to the job functions of the position. Generally, the Department is concerned that the process for hiring civilian staff is delayed and that civilian staff are more likely to leave the Department due to lack of promotional opportunities. The Department also uses uniform staff in administrative jobs, stating that uniform staff both bring special knowledge of the Department"s procedures to their jobs and need administrative experience for promotion to middle management. We recommend that the Department determine whether positions are civilian or uniform based on the job duties of the position, and seek other methods for addressing personnel issues, promotional opportunities, and the need for knowledge of Department procedures in some administrative jobs. The Department should develop personnel policies and practices to improve civilian recruitment and retention, and use committees, workgroups and special projects to provide information and administrative experience for firefighters.

We also recommend that the Department convert specific uniform positions to civilian classifications in the Bureau of Equipment, Facilities Renovation, the 911 Project, Community Affairs, Bureau of Assignments, and Bureau of Fire Prevention. Assigning civilian staff to these positions would result in approximately $337,681 in cost savings to the Department from lower civilian salaries and fringe benefit rates, and from more efficient assignment of personnel. Table 2.3.1 below summarizes our recommendation for converting uniform positions to civilian positions and the cost savings from reduced salary and fringe benefit costs. As discussed above, the conversion of H-4 Inspector positions to 6281 Fire Inspector positions could be achieved through attrition. For the other positions, uniform staff filling the positions could be returned to field assignments. If, in some instances, the Department assigns the uniform incumbent to the civilian position, we recommend that the position be Y-rated. In addition to approximately $337,681 in cost savings from reduced salaries and fringe benefit costs, the Department will achieve cost savings by eliminating the $175 bi-weekly administrative pay differential of approximately $31,850 annually, and by reducing overtime by reassigning uniform staff to the field. Total Department savings to convert uniform positions to civilian would be approximately $369,531 annually.

Table 2.3.1
Uniform Positions Recommended for Conversion to Civilian Positions and the Associated Cost Savings

Recommendations

The Fire Department should:

2.3.1 Convert the following uniform positions to civilian positions:

· H-2 Firefighter in the Bureau of Equipment to 1952 Purchaser;

· Seven H-2 Firefighters in the Bureau of Equipment to seven 7381 Automotive Mechanic,

· H-30 Captain in Facilities Renovation to 7262 Maintenance Planner;

· Five H-20 Lieutenants in Bureau of Assignments to five 1203 Personnel Technicians;

· Twenty-four H-4 Inspectors in Bureau of Fire Inspection to twenty-four 6281 Inspectors;

· H-18 Coordinator of Community Affairs to 1314 Public Relations Officer

· H-20 Lieutenant in Neighborhood Emergency Response Training to 1314 Public Relations Officer

2.3.2 Convert the H-40 Battalion Chief in Bureau of Assignments to H-20 Lieutenant.

2.3.3 Classify all new Bureau of Equipment and MIS positions that are requested in the FY 2002-2003 budget as civilian positions.

Costs and Benefits

Our recommendation to convert specific uniform positions to civilian positions would result in approximately $337,681 in cost savings to the Department from lower civilian salaries and fringe benefit rates. In addition, the Department will achieve cost savings by eliminating the $175 bi-weekly administrative pay differential of approximately $31,850 annually, and by reducing overtime by reassigning uniform staff to the field. Total cost savings to the Department would be $369,531 annually.

¹ This report uses "normal" retirement costs to calculate salary and fringe benefit costs. Although the San Francisco Employee Retirement System currently has more assets than are required to fund the accrued retirement benefits, and although the City does not currently include the employer"s retirement contribution in the annual budget, the Retirement Fund surplus is drawn down to fund the employer"s contribution for each employee. Therefore, we calculate the "normal" retirement costs for uniform classifications to be 20 percent of salary (which includes 12.5 percent for the employer"s contribution and 7.5 percent for the employee"s contribution) and for miscellaneous (civilian) classifications to be 13.5 percent of salary (which includes 6.0 percent for the employer"s contribution and 7.5 percent for the employee"s contribution). Total fringe benefit costs for uniform are 21.55 percent of salary and for civilian are 21.25 percent of salary.

² Currently, the MOU with the Machinists Local 1414 does not include stand-by pay for this classification. Our cost calculations for the Automotive Mechanic positions include shift differentials for scheduling these positions on evening and night shifts, in accordance with the MOU.

³ The Seattle Fire Department assigns a civilian Public Education Specialist to perform case management for children who are at-risk for using fire inappropriately and who are referred by police, parents, schools, or the courts.

⁴ As of the pay period ending May 11, 2001, the Department had 201.41 filled H-20 Lieutenant positions compared to 209 budgeted positions, resulting in 7.59 vacant H-20 positions, and 41.27 filled H-40 Battalion Chief positions compared to 43 budgeted positions, resulting in 1.73 vacant H-40 positions.

⁵ As of the pay period ending May 11, 2001, fourteen of the 17 budgeted 6281 Fire Safety Inspector II positions were filled and nineteen of the 24 budgeted H-4 Inspector positions were filled.