12-A Referendum Position Res - Laserfiche WebLink

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THE FIREFIGHTERS HAVE SAID, "IN A RECENT EDITORIAL, IT WAS SAID THAT THE CITY SHOULD ACCOMMODATE LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE AGREE. WE SUPPORT THE POLICE IN THEIR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THEIR DEPARTMENT. HOWEVER, THE FACT REMAINS, WE ARE ALREADY SUBSTANTIALLY BEHIND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO THE PARIS EMS IN RELATIONSHIP TO PAY, AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS.' THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN THE BENEFICIARY OF THREE NEW STATE -OF- THE -ART FIRE STATIONS AND HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH FOUR NEW TRUCKS, COSTING THE CITY JUST UNDER $4.5 MILLION. THE STARTING PAY FOR AN EMS EMPLOYEE IS LESS THAN THE STARTING PAY FOR A FIREFIGHTER. AS FOR THE OTHER POSITIONS IN THE EMS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE PAY IS COMPARABLE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE EMS MADE OVER 7,000 CALLS LAST YEAR, COMPARED TO APPROXIMATELY 1,600 MADE BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ONLY 179 OF WHICH WERE CALLS TO STRUCTURES. THOSE 1,600 CALLS INCLUDE EMS ASSISTS, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT RESCUES, GRASS FIRES, FIRST - RESPONDERS, PUBLIC SERVICE, ETC. BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF EMS EMPLOYEES WHO WERE OFF WORK DUE TO INJURIES THIS PAST YEAR, OTHER EMS EMPLOYEES WORKED OVERTIME TO COVER THE EMPTY POSITIONS. THIS, AND THIS ALONE, WOULD ACCOUNT FOR ANY APPEARANCE THAT AN EMS EMPLOYEE MAKES MORE THAN A FIREFIGHTER. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MADE APPROXIMATELY 38,000 CALLS LAST YEAR AND APPROXIMATELY 3,000 ARRESTS. THAT NUMBER OF CALLS DWARFS THE NUMBER OF CALLS MADE BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BECAUSE OF THAT LARGE DIFFERENCE, THERE IS ALSO NATURALLY CONSIDERABLY MORE DANGER TO A POLICE OFFICER BECAUSE OF THE GREATER NUMBER OF TIMES HE IS PLACED IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AS COMPARED TO THE FIREFIGHTERS. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S SALARIES ARE NOT "SUBSTANTIALLY' HIGHER THAN THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UNLIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, DOES HAVE CONSIDERABLE TURNOVER. IT CONTINUES TO BE THE POSITION OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF THAT ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE VALUABLE AND DESERVE TO BE TREATED EQUALLY AND WITH RESPECT. IF A RAISE IS GIVEN, ALL SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY.