Fort Mitchell City Council held its first hearing on adopting a new pay scale and schedule for full- and part-time employees at the city’s Fire Department this week.
The new budget amendment was read to city council members at Monday night’s meeting and includes a move for firefighters on the current 24/48 schedule (24 hours on and 48 off) to a 24/72 schedule (24 on and 72 off). It also involves modernizing on-duty staffing, moving from five daily firefighters to six.
Fort Mitchell Fire Chief Dave Slusser said the new plan aims to create stronger operational stability, improve employee retention, and prioritize firefighter mental and physical wellness.
“It is a service that has become increasingly attractive to fire service across the nation, and one that I believe will help Fort Mitchell remain competitive when recruiting and retaining qualified employees” said Slusser.
Several cities across the country have implemented the proposed operation, including two in Kentucky. Mayor Greg Pohlgeers highlighted a case study presented to council, portraying the positive results from 15 departments across seven states that have implemented this program.
Recorded improvements to the measured fire departments included things such as: overall status, job satisfaction, recruitment and retention.
“The way I look at this is, is this a permanent solution to our problem? It is not. But it is a lifeboat because we cannot continue to simply increase money and throw money at the problem, it’s not sustainable”, said Pohlgeers.
The proposed budget amendment would include a $150,000 impact to cover costs associated with the new schedule and recruitment and retention process.
“I also recognize that any proposal that involves a budget amendment for additional personnel expenses deserves careful consideration. I understand the responsibility we have to our taxpayers and do not take the request to you tonight for additional funding lightly” said Slusser.
No action on the plan was taken at Monday night’s meeting, but it is expected to have its second hearing at the next city council meeting, scheduled for Dec. 7.
