OR Department Announces 13 New Hires to Limit Forced Overtime

According to a report from KATU, the Portland (OR) City Council approved funding for 13 additional Portland Fire & Rescue (PFR) firefighters as the bureau attempts to curb the use of mandatory overtime.

Public Safety Commissioner Rene Gonzalez praised the addition of the new hires.

Commissioner Rene Gonzalez/Twitter


PFR spokesperson Rick Graves said there will be no second vote and the department will commence recruiting the additional firefighters. Training for new firefighters will last about nine to 12 months, depending on a recruit’s experience level.

For the past year-and-a-half, the PFR has had difficulty filling daily staffing vacancies, according to an April 5 ordinance made by the city council which offered $100 to firefighters to voluntarily take on extra shifts. The bureau has implemented mandatory callbacks or forced overtime and “has also occasionally shut down frontline apparatus to manage daily staffing deficits.”

Isaac McLennan, the union president of the Portland Firefighters’ Association said last week that some firefighters have been working 100 or more hours per week because of the staffing shortage.

RELATED

Mandatory Overtime: A Legal and Safety Issue

Fire Service Court: Overtime and 7(g)

The Fire Officer’s Guide to the Tough Community Questions, Part 8

New Orleans (LA) Vacant House Fire

Two-Alarm Fire Breaks Out at New Orleans (LA) Vacant House, Authorities Say

A vacant house caught fire in the 7th Ward Saturday morning, according to the New Orleans Fire Department.
Pottsville (PA) House Fire

Woman Found Dead in Pottsville (PA) House Fire

An elderly woman succumbed to injuries in a deadly house fire Friday night, authorities said.