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Meet and Confer Minutes - 02/12/2019 Meet and Confer City Of Wichita Falls & International Association of Firefighters, Local 432 February 12, 2019 Attendees: City Administration Darron Leiker, City Manager Jim Dockery, Deputy City Manager Paul Menzies, Assistant City Manager Donald Hughes, Acting Fire Chief Julia Vasquez, First Assistant City Attorney Christi Klyn, Civil Service Director James McKechnie, Senior Assistant City Attorney Linda Merrill, Recording Secretary International Association of Firefighters, Local 432 Jody Ashlock, Assistant Fire Marshal Bruce Deeb, Lieutenant Randal Reel, Battalion Chief 1. Call to Order Darron Leiker called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. He thanked the attendees for coming to today's meeting. 2. Step Plan Lt. Bruce Deeb read from a statement indicating the Association is interested in initiatives that would attract and maintain good quality personnel. The first initiative they wished to discuss was a pay step plan that would reduce the amount of years required to advance to maximum pay from 15 to 8 for new hires; current firefighters would reach their final wage increase in 9-13 years. Lt. Deeb noted that some members would immediately receive pay increases under this plan, while others would not. All members not already maxed out would receive an annual pay increase of 4 percent. A future goal would be to institute a 10% increase between the ranks. Jim Dockery remarked that he and Christi Klyn have long recognized that reducing the amount of years for firefighters to reach maximum pay would be a good marketing tool for Wichita Falls. Most of its comparable cities average around 8-10 years. N:\ Legal\Personnel\Meet&Confer\Fire\Minutes\2019.2.12.Minutes.Fire.M&C.Doc MEET&CONFER—CWF&WFFD FEBRUARY 12,2019 2 He did ask how there could be zero costs on personnel in some steps. Lt. Deeb replied that those members would not be losing any money, but there would not be a cost factor for one year. It would be a "push." The next year, they would receive a 4% pay increase. Mr. Leiker asked if they intended for this to become effective October 1 or on anniversary dates. Lt. Deeb said he would think October 1. Mr. Dockery said one complaint to expect is from those who have worked a bit longer than a fellow member, but are getting paid less or the same. Lt. Deeb said they would not be paid less. Mr. Leiker expressed concern that their normal pay adjustment would be deferred. Lt. Deeb said it would depend upon seniority. Assistant Fire Marshal Jody Ashlock noted they did have a plan that did not include zero costs, but changed it to make it more affordable. This plan accomplishes the same goals. Mr. Dockery brought up their request for a 10% increase between the ranks. Lt. Deeb acknowledged this could be a big pill to swallow, and suggested that it could be done in two steps of 5 percent. Mr. Dockery said the Association's concern in the past has been too many people getting topped out. This plan gets people topped out quicker. Lt. Deeb said if they don't like being topped out, they should make rank. Ms. Klyn asked if they had polled their membership on this plan. Lt. Deeb said they had not. Mr. Dockery said he hopes this plan does not allow anyone to leapfrog over another. It will need to be studied, but it looks feasible. Mr. Leiker said Finance and Human Resources personnel will massage the numbers to determine the impact. Mr. Dockery added this can be done in a meeting prior to the budget process, without the need for another meet and confer meeting. 3. In-House Rookie School Training Randal Reel said rookie training was transferred from in-house to Vernon College as a cost-savings measure. Several problems have developed as a result: • Vernon College classes run only once a year. In-house training could start any time, and thus keep understaffing to a minimum. MEET&CONFER—CWF&WFFD FEBRUARY 12,2019 3 • Vernon College classes are scheduled at night and on weekends. Most students work full-time, which creates a hardship on having family time. • Interactions between firefighters and recruits is lessened. The students may receive proper book training, but they miss out on practical training and understanding what life would be like at a fire station. If trained in-house, the trainers learn more of the recruits' deficits and can address those issues early on. • Overtime accumulations due to short staffing. • Vernon College classes run 2 months longer than in-house training. • Pension issues. The department needs to be as fully staffed as possible, so that the maximum number of employees are paying into the system. Ms. Klyn said there were seven in the Academy this year, and 13 in the first year, which is close to average. Acting Chief Hughes said they were already in the process of creating an eligibility list in the first year; the second year consisted of only Vernon College students. Mr. Leiker observed that number was probably the more realistic number of the two. Mr. Dockery wondered if in-house training could be held when Vernon College's schedule did not accommodate the Department's need. Ms. Klyn surmised that those who attended Vernon College would be less likely to get hired, or most would wait for in-house training. Paul Menzies asked if there were issues regarding the training the recruits receive from Vernon College, or were the students not learning how things are done at Wichita Falls fire stations. Battalion Chief Reel said that while they are required to learn the Wichita Falls rules and regulations, some recruits have problems with basic skills. The training officers can identify those areas in-house and get those recruits up to speed. Acting Fire Chief Hughes added that Vernon College cannot teach anything specific to Wichita Falls; they can only teach a basic firefighter curriculum. If the training is done in-house, they can teach both. Lt. Deeb added that they can also see how the recruits will react under pressure. Assistant Fire Marshal Ashlock said going into a fire station is a huge culture shock. It is quite different going from a school environment to the station; some members will leave in the first month. Going through the Academy with daily interaction with the training officers and firefighters would solve that problem. Mr. Dockery stated that the Vernon College students are not City of Wichita Falls employees until they have completed the Academy. There is a cost savings to this program, despite the overtime costs. If the program is brought back in-house, he would like to minimize the salary impact. Ms. Klyn said the rookie salary is currently $40,972. Mr. Dockery suggested the salary could be $35,000 during training. Ms. Klyn said it would be for roughly six months. MEET&CONFER—CWF&WFFD FEBRUARY 12,2019 4 Julia Vasquez said this would require City Council approval. She noted that the Police Department had similar issues before training was brought back in- house. The recruits did not know the practical intangibles, so the department developed a Mini-Academy. The City paid their salary for those two months. Mr. Dockery said they had initially calculated a $220,000 savings to the budgeted, but failed to calculate an additional two months of overtime. Including what the shifts are costing, it might actually be a $150,000 savings, or $100,000 because of the added inflexibility. Ms. Klyn said the applicant count the first year under Vernon College was 233, and last year, only 134. Those who showed up to test totaled 83 the first year, and last year, only 62. Mr. Leiker noted that if the recruit pay is $40,000 at comparable cities and only $25,000 here, the city will lose a lot of applicants unless they really want to live here. The city needs to be fairly competitive. However, if the city goes to in-house training, the student would no longer have to work at night with only tuition being paid, and would instead be paid a salary of $30,000-$35,000 while attending a shorter course. That would be more appealing. Mr. Dockery asked when the next Academy begins. Acting Fire Chief Hughes said it just started, and graduation is June 28. Testing for a new class begins June 29. Ms. Klyn said when the training was in-house, testing happened twice a year. Now, it only happens once a year. Mr. Leiker asked if the department ever tried to anticipate vacancies within the department. Acting Fire Chief Hughes said he has tried, but the members very seldom give advance notice. Lt. Deeb said that, depending upon decisions made by the pension board, there could be a dozen members retiring in the next few months. Mr. Leiker said former Chief Reese recommended the switch to Vernon College when the city was trying to find any possible cuts to generate funds for a cost of living increase. No pay increase will be taken away to go back to in-house training, but if costs can be minimized by lowering the recruit salary, that needs to be reviewed. 4. Steps to Reduce Risk of Cancer in Fire Stations Battalion Chief Reel reported that studies show 67% of all firefighters will get cancer. Leading causes of cancer in fire service include bunker gear not being cleaned, and diesel emissions in the stations. MEET&CONFER—CWF&WFFD FEBRUARY 12,2019 5 He expressed appreciation that extractors are coming to the stations to help them clean their gear. They ask that the budget allow for one station per year to be "fixed," regarding diesel emissions, starting with station #2. It is the oldest station, having been built in 1966. There are three solutions as to how to mitigate the problem: 1. Metal room to outside of the station 2. Construct a room on inside of the station 3. Install a source capture system that directs the exhaust to outside of the building Battalion Chief Reel feels option 3 is best for Station #2. Stations 1, 4 and 6 have different issues; more time and research is needed to find the best solution for each. Stations 3, 5, 7 and 8 need the least amount of change. Mr. Leiker asked if grants are available. Acting Fire Chief Hughes said the grants are more for the volunteer fire departments than for municipalities. Mr. Leiker said Building Maintenance could help figure out the cost estimate for the budget or figure out solutions. He asked the Association to provide any information they receive from other cities' fire stations or from vendors regarding retrofitting existing fire stations. 5. Minimum Staffing in Arson -pulled at Local 432's request 6. Replacement for Fire Marshal Position - pulled at Local 432's request 7. Haz-Mat Physicals (Exit and Expansion to Include Others with Training) Battalion Chief Reel said the Association would like cancer screenings for Haz-Mat personnel. Those who no longer perform those duties should receive an exit physical. Mr. Leiker asked if this is performed by Quad Med. Ms. Klyn stated it is part of their charge, but it would be an additional cost for those who are certified but not on the team. She has emailed the account manager, asking for an estimate for the additional personnel. There are 40 currently on the team. Acting Fire Chief Hughes estimates there are probably 80 total. 8. Adjourn Mr. Leiker said the State Legislature is in session, and cities are watching Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2. These bills potentially lower the roll-back rate from 8% to 2.5%. Passage of this legislation could be disastrous if the city wanted to raise the tax rate. It would force an election, and it is extremely difficult to pass a tax MEET&CONFER—CWF &WFFD FEBRUARY 12,2019 6 increase measure. He urged the Association to contact Senator Fallon and Representative Frank regarding this legislation. Public safety takes most of the City's general fund budget, and within that, most of that is spent on personnel. Even the moderates in the Legislature say the 8% rate is going away. They tried to reduce it to 4% in the last session, but failed. Mr. Leiker believes the bill is written for 2.5% but they hope to get 4% this year. If the City gets into a situation where the sales tax isn't growing and new growth isn't coming into the community, that will barely cover inflation. Battalion Chief Reel said they will look into it. Mr. Leiker expressed his appreciation to the Association for the work they had done and the research on the issues. The meeting adjourned at 4:19 p.m.