What layoffs might mean

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If city leaders follow through with plans to lay off six workers, it would be the first time in recent memory that the city trimmed staff.

What that could mean for residents is unclear.

Four employee groups were asked to forgo raises for the 2010 fiscal year so the city could balance its budget. One group, comprised of management employees, has agreed, and the police union has a tentative contract in place; the last contract expired in 2008.

As of Friday, though, a municipal employee group and the firefighters’ union had rejected the city’s request to freeze wages for one year. The DeKalb City Council has already authorized the layoff of three firefighters, and will have a special meeting Monday to decide whether to lay off three members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The DeKalb Fire Department is prepared to lose three of its 39 firefighters to uphold its contractual raise of 4 percent. The cuts would leave the department with seven fewer employess than it had two years ago. Also, two employees plan to retire this year, and whether they will be replaced is not known.

The fire chief is optimistic that an agreement can still be reached before Wednesday, when the new fiscal year begins and layoffs would occur.

But he’s also prepared for the worst.

The worst-case scenario includes shutting down Station Two, the smallest of the three stations, Fire Chief Bruce Harrison said. But even if it doesn’t close, its engine will most likely be taken out of service because it can’t be staffed, and would be used only if off-duty firefighters are recalled.

Even before staffing levels dropped, the DeKalb firefighters’ group, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1236, requested an analysis of the department by its international association. IAFF assessed data against National Fire Protection Association and Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety regulations.

“In 2004, we noticed multiple calls really started to affect our operations,” IAFF Local President Mike Thomas said. The report is dated Jan. 13, 2009, and was shared at a city council meeting earlier this year.

The analysis of the department’s response capabilities and staffing “reveals serious deficiencies that warrant careful consideration,” the report stated.

In particular, DeKalb deploys engines with only two or three firefighters, while the industry standard is four. Also, an OSHA “two-in-two-out” standard calls for a four-person team to respond to fires within buildings; two are needed on reserve in case those inside have respiratory problems.

But the bigger issue is cross-staffing, Thomas said. Cross-staffing involves emergency responders staffing several types of emergency-response vehicles simultaneously during a shift. For example, a response by an ambulance means abandoning the engine.

This is fine under one call. But as calls have increased – including multiple calls at one time – cross-staffing is more of a problem. Since 2000, simultaneous call activity has quadrupled for the department, according to the report.

The department has a minimum staffing level of 13 among three stations; the report recommends 20.

If the layoffs happen, the minimum staffing level will drop to 12, Harrison said. His biggest concern is that this will mean a heavy reliance on recall, during which off-duty firefighters are called in – and receive overtime pay for their time.

“Even the overtime concern is a symptom of understaffing,” he said.

The transition will be tough, he said, and conflict over the contract has been difficult on the already-strained department.

“This is a good department,” he said. “It’s good people. We’re going to work very, very hard to continue to to be an effective department.”

Mayor Kris Povlsen acknowledged that residents will see changes with less city workers, but assured that there would be “absolutely no detriment to the life safety of this community.”

He praised Harrison for looking at effective ways of staffing, and conceded that recalls likely will increase to cover multiple emergencies.

As far as AFSCME employees, Povlsen said it’s still being determined among city management and department heads where they can cut; AFSCME Local 813 includes 71 workers in public works, telecommunications, finance and other departments.

Services would not be cut, but they may be delayed, he said.

“Positions that would be eliminated in the AFSCME group might be secretarial positions or positions where it might take longer for an inspection,” he said. “But that certainly is not a life safety issue.”

If you go

What: Special meeting of the DeKalb City Council
When: 6 p.m. Monday
Where: DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St. in DeKalb