The City of Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service

Inter-Office Memo
TO: All WFPS Personnel September 17, 2013 OVERTIME AND STAFFING FROM: William Clark Acting Chief DATE: SUBJECT:

Our Department has been experiencing a massive impact to our budget due to the expense to backfill positions with overtime. Our overtime projection for this year has increased by 86% over last year. This is not sustainable and the Department has been working to find solutions to offset these costs, without making an impact on public or member safety. It is not the number of members that are employed by the Department that determines overtime, but rather it is the number of members who are available to work on any given day which determines overtime expense. There are several causes, over and above the normal leave allotments, which draw on overtime, such as the use of sick time, family day, and Workers Compensation. The Department is supportive of fitness and weliness programs within each station and has supplied fitness equipment. We have strict safety protocols and procedures, and want to strive to achieve the goal of an injury and illness free workplace. One solution the Department is implementing to address our overtime is to have a select number of secondary fire units redeployed or left idle unless required during periods of peak demand. It also proposes that these selected units may be converted to two-m ember Squad units, with no impact on public of member safety. Members know that these units play a significant role in primary response to emergency medical calls, which are 75% of the requests for emergency service directed to the Winnipeg Fire Department. Please join with me in making yourself available for work, keeping yourself healthy and well, wearing your equipment and protecting yourself, and do take measures to offset overtim e costs as much as possible.

Overtime and Staffing September 17, 2013 Page 2of2

Financial resources are limited and as such we have to be accountable to the public to ensure that we remain vigilant in keeping the public safe, keeping ourselves and our workplace free of illness and injury, and to continue to provide what I view as a service that is second to none. HQ Authorization

/mw