Firefighter Overtime Discussing Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Firefighters, First Responders as well as Human Resource & Finance Professional

Today’s FLSA Question I attended one of your Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Fire Departments seminars last year. I learned a great deal about the FLSA over those three days. However, I just took a promotional examination for deputy chief within my fire department and found the following question: Which of the following must be true in order for ...

Today’s FLSA Question I am a fire chief. My EMS chief wants us to consider a CPR notification system known as PulsePoint. It notifies trained citizens (and off-duty firefighters) when there is a CPR incident nearby so that immediate aid can be rendered. It’s a wonderful system, and as this video shows, one of the best uses for it could involve ...

The wait is finally over. On August 31, a federal judge in Texas issued an opinion formally striking down proposed Department of Labor (DOL) changes for Executive, Administrative, and Professional (EAP) employee exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The latest decision comes several months following this judge’s earlier ruling that postponed the long-awaited implementation of new federal regulations. ...

For the second time in three years current and former Augusta-Richmond County firefighters have filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Georgia claiming the county violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The firefighters claim the county failed to include EMT stipends in firefighter’s regular rate of pay. Determining the proper regular rate can be challenging at times ...

Four Richmond VA police officers are suing the city for unpaid overtime. The officers filing the law suit were assigned to former mayor, Dwight C. Jones’ “Executive Protection Unit” (EPU). This specialized unit provided security and transportation for the mayor.  According to the complaint, these officers worked and were paid “significant overtime” in the past.  However, EPU operations and costs ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a career fire captain who works a 24/48 schedule. Captains in my department are required to be on call and take a command vehicle home on certain days off. We are on call while off duty and must respond to any alarm requiring more than two pieces of apparatus. Calls like box alarms, building fires, ...

Dueling FLSA questions from two perspectives with the same answer. Fire Chief’s question: Our fire department began providing our firefighters with annual physicals several years ago. It was a tough sell in tough fiscal times but it was mandated by OSHA and we really had no choice. We try to schedule personnel while they are on duty, but one of ...

The City of Philadelphia just agreed to pay police officer’s approximately $8 million dollars to do just that. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 which represents Philadelphia police officers filed a complaint alleging the City required officers to frequently check phones and email while “off-duty”. The officers argued requiring them to regularly check and respond to department calls and ...

Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR) is hopeful 30 new recruits will alleviate a shortage of firefighters that dates to 2015. Hiring new firefighters to reduce overtime costs is not a new concept, however HCFR seems to be experiencing a chronic shortage of firefighters that dates back at least the last two years. In fact, the department has a mandatory overtime ...

Today’s Question: The city and firefighters just concluded a long and drawn out battle over a new contract.  The old contract expired six months ago.  The new contract contains two provisions that are raising questions in the stations.  The first is a 2% retroactive pay increase (retroactive to July 1) and the second is a “bonus” that is payable to ...