Second of two parts

Each time the city responded to a fire call in 2005, it cost
taxpayers an estimated $5,371.78 in manpower alone, according to
calculations performed by The Era from documents obtained by
Councilman Tom Riel and through the Right To Know Act.

The figures were calculated using the fire department’s monthly
reports and a list of the wages and year-end gross income earned by
the 20 firefighters in the department.

The figures are all estimates and averages; nothing is
specific.

In January, the fire department listed 40 calls
answered/services performed in the monthly report. Those included
investigations, fire presentation programs, public safety training,
public service calls, false alarms, alarm malfunctions,
Hazmat/spills, fire drills, accidents, QRS, fire calls, rescues and
a standby for another department.

The department also responded to 193 ambulance calls.

The hours worked for regular pay were 4,368. The hours worked at
overtime pay were at 96.

Not included in The Era’s figures were non-working hours, such
as vacation, holidays, sick leave, workmen’s compensation or
funeral leave.

An average hourly wage for the firefighters was calculated at
$14.02 per hour.

The number of overtime hours was multiplied by 1.5, which is the
rate of overtime pay. And then the amount of regular hours was
added to that answer to come up with a total amount of hours worked
for the month.

That amount was then divided by the number of calls
answered/services performed to come up with an average amount of
time spent on each call. That average amount of time was then
multiplied by $14.02, again, the average hourly pay for
firefighters, to come up with an average manpower cost per
call.

For January, the average manpower cost, in wages, per call was
$1,581.46.

The same principle was used to calculate a manpower cost per
fire call. For January, that was $5,750.72. For ambulance calls,
the estimate was $327.79 per call.

For February, the estimated cost per fire call was $3,297.50;
per call answered was $969.90; and per ambulance call was
$290.92.

For March, the estimated cost per fire was $5,417.33; per call
answered was $1,128.61; and per ambulance call was $345.03.

In April, the department took on summer help at a rate of $5.50
per hour. The summer help stayed on through August.

The number of hours worked by the summer help was listed in each
monthly report. The Era multiplied the number of hours worked times
the rate of pay for the summer help, then divided that amount by
$14.02. The result is the estimated number of hours a firefighter
at regular pay would have worked.

For that month, the estimated cost per fire call was $6,222.36;
per call answered was $1,196.61; and per ambulance call was
$393.82.

For May, the estimate per fire call was $3,601.92; per call
answered was $1,017.85; and per ambulance call was $221.94.

For June, the estimated cost of manpower per fire call was
$5,113.37; per call answered was $1,179.92; and per ambulance call
was $287.55.

For July, the estimate per fire call was $5,125.01; per call
answered was $1,397.65; and per ambulance call was $233.01.

August estimates for fire calls were the highest of the entire
year at $8,136.78. The estimate per call was $800.40 and per
ambulance call was $245.35.

In September, the estimate per fire call was $5,944.48; per call
answered was $1,188.90; and per ambulance call at $283.06.

In October, the estimated manpower cost per fire was $3,544.27;
per call answered was $542.49; and per ambulance call was
$284.33.

November’s estimate for manpower costs per fire was $4,304.14,
while the cost per call was $833.06 and per ambulance call was
$339.84.

In December, the estimate per fire call was $8,003.42; per call
was $1,143.33; and per ambulance call was $327.65.