SNOHOMISH COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT

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SNOHOMISH COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT 7 THREE PLATOON
SYSTEM VS. FOUR PLATOON SYSTEM
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GOALS

• Provide a shift schedule that reduces overtime
  expenses.
• Provide a shift schedule that is acceptable and
  hopefully desirable to district employees and
  district management.
• Provide a shift schedule that will provide
  uniformity to regional departments working
  cooperatively in department operations.

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Current Three Platoon System

• 51 uniform personnel staff three shifts using the
  modified Detroit schedule.
• 17 assigned personnel per shift
• 121.66 shift per year
• Using a 12 year employee as the average, each
  shift employee schedules 27.5 shifts of annual
  leave off per year. (does not include other ie..
  sick leave, military, bereavement, etc) This
  equates to 1,402.5 shift off each year.

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CURRENT WORK SCHEDULE

• Shift worker typically works Modified Detroit
  schedule.
• 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 96 off.
• The days on duty are reduced by annual Kelly time
  and Annual Leave.
• This provides an A shift, B Shift and C Shift.

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CURRENT PREFERRED SHIFT STAFFINGDoes not include
day staffing and Resident staffing

• Station 71
• 1 Battalion Chief
• 1 Lieutenant
• 1 FF/PM
• Station 72
• Lieutenant
• FF
• Station 74
• 1 Lieutenant
• 1 FF / PM

• Station 76
• 1 Lieutenant
• 1 FF / PM
• Station 77
• 1 Lieutenant
• 1 FF
• 12 TOTAL SHIFT WORKERS DESIRED

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DISADVANTAGE OF CURRENT SYSTEM

• Scheduling of 1,402 off shifts and coverage is
  difficult at best.
• Many employees get locked out of prime days of
  vacation due to seniority pick days.
• Up to a three month period off using annual leave
  accrual.
• Non common with neighboring jurisdictions.
• Shift coverage overtime results in 50 additional
  cost than that forecasted with four platoon
  system.
• Perspective differs depending on employee,
  Management

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ADVANTAGES TO CURRENT SYSTEM

• Employee has more control over scheduling time
  off via Kelly days.
• Employee is likely to obtain more overtime
  compensation.
• Employees can schedule up to a three month period
  off simply using annual leave accrual.
• District advantage one less B/C and two less
  Lieutenant positions with net savings (offset by
  general o/t)

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PROPOSED SCHEDULE

• The four platoon system would provide a typical
  work cycle of
• 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 120 off.
• One variation is 24 on 48 off, 24 on 96 off.
• This cycle is supplemented with debit days.
  These debit days would be scheduled to offset
  days where annual leave is used.
• This schedule eliminates Kelly days because the
  work cycle does not create an accrual of extra
  hours.

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Four Platoon System

• 52 uniform personnel staff four shifts
• 13 assigned personnel per shift. (Provides for
  one planned sick coverage per day, remember 12
  desired)
• 91.25 days per shift.
• Using 12.5 shifts average leave accrual per
  person provides coverage required for 650 shifts
  annually.
• Debit days used to cover annual leave days.
• The amount of debit days is a question and would
  be a result of union negotiations.

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ESTIMATE OF SAVINGS

• The addition of one person to the shift schedule
  results in an increase in cost. Since a new B/C
  position is the highest paid position this cost
  was used in cost projections. In addition two
  additional Lts will need to be promoted but
  these are not new positions.
• Current O/T cost 500,000
• B.C. cost 112,000
• Lts Promotions 24,000
• Estimated O/T 175,000
• Net Savings 189,000

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Debit Days

• It would be reasonable to assume that the
  following range of debit shifts are possible.
  Obviously management will desire more debit days
  and labor will desire less debit shifts.
• 14 debit shifts 48.57 work week lt of .63 hour
• 13 debit shifts 48.12 work week lt of 1.08 hours
• 12 debit shifts 47.65 work week lt of 1.55 hours

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Payback of debit time equates to shift coverage
for leave time.

• Remember that each employee has an average of
  12.5 shifts off of annual leave with 52 employees
  this equates to 650 off shifts.
• With each increment of debit amounts you can see
  the return payback to cover the planned 650 off
  shifts of annual leave.
• 14 debit shifts 728 return days 78 shifts
• 13 debit shifts 676 return days 26 shifts
• 12 debit shifts 624 return days - (26 shifts)

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RATIONALE OF ESTIMATE OF SAVINGS

• The current rate of overtime will result of an
  over budget amount expense. At the current rate
  of use 500,000 is likely to be used in overtime
  compensation by years end. It would reasonable to
  assume this would increase in 2003 if all
  conditions remained the same.
• This four platoon system and the use of its built
  in coverage aspects will reduce overtime. It
  will not eliminate overtime. Only annual leave
  coverage is assured. Other leave that includes
  sick leave, military leave, bereavement leave,
  work related injury, etc are not covered except
  to the extent of the one extra person assigned
  per shift (13th person). And depending on the
  debit amount and assignments of the debit days
  there is a potential for 26 78 shift that could
  be used to provide added coverage.

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DAY SHIFT STAFFING

• The current day shift has eight personnel
  assigned. Of these eight day positions, six
  personnel are needed during the day time hours to
  fill the staffing of three person companies.
  Resident volunteers are needed to replace the day
  staffing at night to continue the three person
  staffing. The assignment of eight day positions
  allows two personnel off at one time for the day
  staffing positions. It has been suggested to
  utilize these eight positions in the shift
  rotation. Although this would provide some
  advantage to department standardization it would
  not allow for 24 hour coverage of the three
  person company assigned to the five currently
  staffed stations.

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PERSONNEL NEEDED TO PROVIDE 24 HOUR THREE PERSON
COMPANIES ALL ON SHIFT

• With the fact that six additional shift personnel
  would be needed for each shift and given the
  current eight employees working day shift. The
  following calculation of additional personnel is
  easily understood.
• Four shifts Need of 6 personnel per shift 24
• Current personnel 8 working day shift - (8)
• Additional personnel needed 16
• Short of hiring 16 additional personnel the
  reducing of man power at stations or the closing
  of a station would be needed to accomplish this
  re-assignment.

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• Recent decisions made to head off budget short
  falls have resulted in decreased staffing at
  times.
• It may be hard to see but labor and management
  share this concern. Decreased staffing levels
  hurt us all. It is a difficult decision that is
  not made lightly. We believe the four platoon
  system will provide the district with the
  flexibility to maintain preferred staffing needs
  at all staffed stations.
• Labors and Managements concerns of safety,
  customer service, and public protection are met
  utilizing the advantages of this system.
• This system sets the stage to continue the
  staffing plan for future years.

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• Selection of Debit days
• Our goal is to give the employee the flexibility
  to select debit days that best fit his/her
  schedule.
• First the employee can exchange any accrued
  vacation day for a debit day. Depending on
  leave accrual and debit days this alone can wipe
  out all or most debit days.
• Next the annual leave picks would be selected.
• After all annual leave days are selected the
  District would indicate the quantity and days
  debit shifts are needed.
• Lastly the employees would select the debit days
  they wish to work. All debit days would be known
  the previous year. No surprise debit days.
• Another possible advantage is the limit of people
  off on a particular day has more flexibility.
  Example 8 people want August 8th off. Provided
  we can obtain 8 personnel to work debit days
  August 8th all 8 could be allowed off.

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DAY STAFFING

• Although it is not cast in concrete the district
  has approved a plan that increases staffing over
  a seven year period. In 2007 106 employees with
  90 assigned to staffing fire stations.
• If followed the day staffing positions would be
  reduced by the year 2005 with 3 day staff
  positions.

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CONCLUSION

• The four platoon system gives the perception of a
  significantly reduced work period. The reduction
  of hours is adjusted dependant of the debit days
  allowed, it is not a large reduction of hours.
  The built in scheduling that eliminates Kelly
  days and the ability to utilize the debit days to
  the best advantage of the district will result in
  financial benefit. The other advantages that
  will prove significant will be shift cohesiveness
  increased. Shift officers and company officers
  will work with assigned personnel a higher
  percentage of the time. Assignments to shifts
  will have higher probability of common personnel
  attendance. An unofficial survey of departments
  using the four platoon system have shown initial
  resistance to change from 3 platoon to 4 platoon
  at 35. However, after the change less than 10
  of work force would return to 3 platoon system.

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END OF PRESENTATIONSNOHOMISH COUNTY FIRE
DISTRICT 7