The Perry City Council, during the work session Monday,
granted Fire Chief Joel Gray permission to create a part-time firefighter/fire
officer program for the department.
Gray presented the council with a dilemma regarding staff
backfilling. This occurs when employees are out sick or on annual personal
leave. The department has 18 firefighters total and needs six firefighters to
fill a shift.
Gray also notified the council that due to the economy, most
of the city’s firefighters have a second job. The relationship with the
firefighter and the second employer is strained sometimes due to the
firefighter being next on the mandatory overtime list; the firefighter is held
for another shift because of a vacancy, and has to miss their second job.
Having a pool of part-time firefighters to choose from when there is a vacancy
would take the burden away from the department’s current employees filling the
open spot after they had just been on shift.
According to Gray, the part-time firefighters should be
career firefighters with the Warner Robins Fire Department, Peach County Fire
Department or have been a career fire officer or firefighter who left in good
standing from the Perry department.
“We are actually taking a weight off their shoulders,”
stated Gray about allowing part-time firefighters to fill the vacant shift
spots.
After the council agreed with the program, Gray continued by
giving a presentation on the city’s ISO rating.
With the city’s rating of a 5/9 within the five-mile radius
of the city’s fire station and a 10 outside the five-mile radius, several
improvements would need to occur in order to drop the rating. The rating is
what insurance companies use to determine the cost of insurance on a building.
According to Gray, the cost goes up approximately $200 per point.
So far, 65 of the 154 two port hydrants will need to be
replaced by three port hydrants, said Gray, and two more have been added for a
projected total cost of $138,125.
Gray also spoke to council members about the staff needed to
fulfill ISO requirements. He said that once the new station is complete that it
will need 18 firefighters, which comes to a total of $1.3 million.
Mayor Jimmy Faircloth said this would amount to an
approximate millage rate increase of 4 mils, which he said council is not
considering.
Funding for the additional personnel is expected to be
discussed during the planning session that is scheduled for next Tuesday.
HHJ News
