OH City Changes Order Limiting Firefighter Overtime

City officials have reversed an order forcing an Ohio fire department to stop non-emergency overtime, leading to the temporary closing of at least one station because of staffing.

Because of last week's overtime order, which was part of the city's response to a 20 percent, pandemic-related revenue reduction, the Mansfield Fire Department could not backfill positions to allow all of its five stations to be properly staffed, the Mansfield News Journal reports. That led to the department's Station No. 2 being closed for four days as of Wednesday, and it was running at only half capacity Monday.

With the city's reversal, Fire Chief Steve Strickling is able to use overtime to call in enough firefighters to prevent a second station from closing. Strickling also still can use overtime for emergency incidentals that require additional firefighters.

Mansfield's firefighters union objected to the city's non-emergency overtime edict, and it's president said the reversal wasn't an improvement on circumstances.

"It doesn't really fix the problem of having stations closed or not enough firefighters on duty to properly man all of our trucks," Scott Miller, who headsthe International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 266, told the News Journal. "Yes, it's not going to allow two stations to close but it's still not acceptable that one station will still be closed more times than not, and we'll be running with less than adequate firefighters on the days that the stations are open."

Mansfield Safety-Service Director Lori Cope told the News Journal that the non-emergency overtime order will be looked at again after officials have a better idea how much of a revenue shortfall the city will face because of the COVID-19 pandemic.