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Well, here we go. More statements from Warwcikcitizen who knows nothing about the contract, the finances, or the operations of the department. Warwick has more than enough engines and in fact needs rescues. The city is not burning down.

Fact - The department incurs enormous wear and tear on vehicles that are constantly driving around the city not on emergency runs. Fuel is consumed during the "shopping and sight seeing" runs and the fuel budget has been overdrawn for several years.

Fact - The past 4 chiefs have testified that with an increase in manpower, overtime will be eliminated. Has not happened. Even with a 3.1 million dollar federal grant for new hires, the department blew thru that money and more.

Fact - In 2 1/2 months the department has consumed 52% of its overtime budget.

Fact - The department is self controlled with no fiscal oversight from city hall. No other eyes are on the budget, the manpower, or the overtime or the staffing or the payroll. The department has never had a fiscal audit performed.

Fact - Fire departments around the country and in RI have been found to spike overtime and in fact, criminal proceedings have been brought. See several links below.

Fact - The chief told the council that 100% of the vacation days are covered by the "extra floaters" at straight time. The truth was that 100% of the vacation days where covered at overtime. The documents confirm this.

Fact - The chief told the council that there were 1200 sick days. Wrong again, the city documents and letter from the chief to me indicated 1915 sick days.

Fact - The chief says that "substitution" saves money for the city. Wrong again, substitution allows men the ability not to come to work for any reason, get paid and preserve their sick days and vacation days to be monetized later. Last year there were close to 2000 substitution days. All of those 2000 days should have been used as vacation days.

Fact - The chief says there was an enormous amount of men out sick, yet the unused sick pay documents indicate that virtually every man got paid the maximum unused sick pay. How can that be possible? That cost to the city last year was $1,092,421. That will only continue to increase.

Fact - Currently the WFD has 22,510 sick days in the bank (as of Feb15th) that has a monetary value of approximately $12 million dollars. That number is not carried on any balance sheet in the city.

Fact - The fire department is the only department in the city that does not break out the sick time from the line item of salaries. Every other department does it. The fire department only identifies sick time from the dispatchers and office personnel and not from uniformed men. Why? The department was ordered in April by ordinance to break out the sick time in a separate line item. They failed to do so and have not done so as of this date. Why??

Fact - The chief said that men cannot use "substitution" to take time off to work at another job. He was wrong and purposely skewed the truth as documents from the state exist that prove exactly that.

Fact - The city can no longer afford any more increases from this out of control department. This department will never stop wanting more and more. If you are one of those people that cant separate the emotional aspect of the fire service from the financial implications, than sell your house and give them all of the proceeds.

Please see and READ THIS TIME (and educate yourself) as to the organized schemes that departments around the country have been involved in. I would also encourage you to actually read the contract, ,understand the overly generous benefits that we the taxpayer supply these EMPLOYEES. Do some math, the fact of the matter is that the department is overpaid.

Links

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2011/09/18/Paid-sick-time-abuse-leads-to-crackdown.html

https://lris.com/2016/05/12/sick-leave-abuse-or-low-staffing-whats-at-the-root-of-fds-overtime-costs/

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/firefighters-e-mails-indicate-abuse-of-sick-leave-overtime/

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2011/feb/01/county-says-firefighter-sick-leave-abuse-more-wide/

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/data-watch/sdut-firefigter-ot-2016jan09-htmlstory.html

http://www.startribune.com/4-alarm-anger-over-minneapolis-firefighters-sick-time/134799278/

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/07/newark_fire_directors_office_raided_by_corruption.html

http://www.rstreet.org/op-ed/cal-fires-corruption-of-public-service/