SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIAL MEETING (5:00 PM)

Why doesn't LPFD use volunteer firefighters? Some people have asked why volunteer firefighters don't staff Bay Area fire engines like they do in other, generally rural, parts of the country. The answer is multifold. The community expects a well-trained fire department to respond to 911 calls within minutes. As a mid -market employer with good pay and benefits, the LPFD struggles to maintain the staffing needed to meet this expectation — staffing would not be possible if these positions were unpaid. The LPFD runs almost 17,000 calls annually and often requires more than one unit to respond to those calls. The impact of a volunteer having to leave work many times daily or miss sleep daily to rush to the fire station and staff a fire engine is not a model used by high-volume fire departments as it is not functional. Without a staffed fire department, already high insurance rates could increase dramatically, and commercial and residential property may become uninsurable. The amount of training required to maintain licenses, certifications, and the skill set to provide all-risk fire department services would not be possible in a volunteer model. Information Technology Working with the City's Information Technology staff, a volunteer was used to assist with basic IT support tasks for LPFD such as computer replacements and troubleshooting. However, due to the technical complexity of systems, cybersecurity requirements, and data privacy considerations, the use of volunteers in IT is extremely limited. In particular, IT staff are required to meet Criminal Justice Information Services security requirements in order to access and support law enforcement systems, which includes background checks and strict access controls. Additionally, IT personnel are subject to annual audits related to internal controls over the City's financial systems. These responsibilities require trained, vetted professionals to ensure compliance and maintain the integrity and security of critical systems. 3. Why does LPFD need to spend so much on overtime? Around 95% of firefighter overtime is used to staff fire stations. The driving factors are vacancies, vacation, sick leave, workers comp, and a few less -used leave types like FMLA, military, and bereavement. The discussion about station closure and overtime reduction is effectively the same in that a reduction in overtime will eventually lead to station closure. The remaining 5% of overtime includes activities like fire academy instruction, mandatory training, and program coordination that alleviate additional full-time employees. Before 2022, the firefighter's memorandum of understanding did not allow for routine relief staffing. In 2022, the firefighters and the cities agreed to relief staffing. Unfortunately, the job market has not permitted the LPFD to hire enough qualified personnel to provide relief staffing. In the coming years, as the employment market recovers from pandemic -related closures of training programs, the LPFD does expect to be able to provide relief staffing. Typically, the LPFD hires firefighters every 1-2 years. In 2025, the LPFD is holding two hiring processes to address these and other staffing challenges. 3 of 5