From the LVRJ: Clark County managers have stepped up oversight of firefighters' sick leave use amid a public outcry, a possible criminal investigation and evidence that suggests some supervising battalion chiefs also abused the system.
Battalion chiefs are no longer handling sick leave requests for themselves, and they will have more eyes looking over their shoulders when they deal with sick calls from lower-ranking firefighters under new procedures started last week.
The fire chief and deputy chiefs will monitor sick leave in the department, and human resource officials and county managers also will review how sick days are approved and used.
"Hopefully it will reduce sick leave use," County Manager Don Burnette said Friday.
More than 230 firefighters each missed at least a month's worth of 24-hour shifts because of sick calls in 2009, and a dozen missed more than three months of work because of sick leave.
Firefighters' sick leave can be costly because the tight staffing often requires those who fill in for absent co-workers to be paid overtime, and usually for 24 hours.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/county-officials-crack-down-on-firefighters-use-of-sick-leave-116517013.html
This is all well and good. Many firefighters have been abusing sick time to the point of being almost criminal and it has been going on a long time. I'm not sure if it is criminal if they followed the contract and it will be very difficult to prove.
Battalion chiefs are no longer handling sick leave requests for themselves, and they will have more eyes looking over their shoulders when they deal with sick calls from lower-ranking firefighters under new procedures started last week.
The fire chief and deputy chiefs will monitor sick leave in the department, and human resource officials and county managers also will review how sick days are approved and used.
"Hopefully it will reduce sick leave use," County Manager Don Burnette said Friday.
More than 230 firefighters each missed at least a month's worth of 24-hour shifts because of sick calls in 2009, and a dozen missed more than three months of work because of sick leave.
Firefighters' sick leave can be costly because the tight staffing often requires those who fill in for absent co-workers to be paid overtime, and usually for 24 hours.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/county-officials-crack-down-on-firefighters-use-of-sick-leave-116517013.html
This is all well and good. Many firefighters have been abusing sick time to the point of being almost criminal and it has been going on a long time. I'm not sure if it is criminal if they followed the contract and it will be very difficult to prove.
Further, this oversight should have done a lot earlier, when County Commissioner Steve Sisolak first brought it overtime abuse over a year ago.
What has not been mentioned is if the taking out of service the water tender and heavy duty rescue truck and I believe haz-mat has helped reduce overtime for the department. this was done to reduce overtime. If overtime is still a problem, then why is it a problem after taking all the equipment out of service?
update: the orginal post contained inaccurate information about the Fire Chief and I removed it.
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