Las Vegas FD Switches Staffing Procedure amid OT Cuts

Budget cuts spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic have the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Department reducing overtime, a move that could affect staffing.

Going forward, Las Vegas fire officials will use a "rover" pool of unassigned firefighters to fill daily vacancies from vacation, sick leave and on-the-job injuries, Chief William McDonald said in a press release Wednesday. Once the rover pool is assigned, the department's limited overtime budget can be used to fill the remaining vacancies. If there are still open positions after the rover and overtime assignments, up to four pieces of apparatus will be placed out of service, according to the McDonald.

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"This plan can save over $10 million and was developed with the goal to ensure that every station will still be able to provide, at minimum, two pieces of operational equipment staffed with firefighters," McDonald said in a statement. "One of these pieces of equipment will have the ability to transport the sick and injured of our community, and the other piece of equipment will be available for fighting fires."

This new protocol will not be applied during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. There will be no reductions from July 3 to 5, according to McDonald.

Although the reduction of units is part of the new procedures, McDonald emphasized that shutting down apparatus because of staffing was a last resort.

"We recognize the optimal service is when all units are operational, but COVID-19 and the resulting fiscal impact has reduced our ability to provide that level of service for our community," he stated. "This is a fluid plan and process. We will continuously be reassessing the demands for service across the city so we can maximize the utility of our resources with the greatest amount of efficiency."