Mandatory Overtime has been used to fill 5,298 shifts so far this year.
That averages out to 22.5 people forced to work on their day off every single day since the beginning of this year.
Our Mandatory Overtime usage has doubled in the last year. Despite our continued efforts to bring awareness to our problem, our leaders have failed to take meaningful action to reduce the workload on our members. They continue to blame the men and women of PCFR for their staffing failures. We have been told the root of our problem is because of people “abuse” their sick leave.
Today, there are 22 people on mandatory overtime. There are only 3 people who have used sick leave today. 3 people sick out of over 200 people on duty seems very reasonable given the work they are required to do and the hours they are required to give.
How much longer do you think it will be before the county shows some accountability to actually staff their 911 system safely? This is a failing system. ”There’s no such thing as a bad team, only bad leadership. –Jocko Willink”
average salary for a firefighter paramedic in Polk County, FL is $62,500 per year. Not bad for washing red trucks and waiting for someone’s misery to happen. No one is working for free
What are the comparative salaries in neighboring counties vs cost of living here in Polk vs that county? Many fire/rescue departments are and have been on mandatory overtime since before Covid. What are we willing to pay for prompt response in times of emergencies?
This problem is due to the lack of leadership by the city leaders they all need to resign