Lincoln Fire and Rescue Chief David Engler is responding to the Nebraska State Auditor’s review of the department’s overtime practices. “LFR has a responsibility to ensure Lincoln residents can count on reliable emergency response 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while being a sound steward of taxpayer dollars.” Engler says overtime is a necessary part of LFR operations
“The use of overtime enables us to maintain required staffing and continuous emergency response when employees are on leave, to complete required training without taking units out of service, and to meet other operational needs,” Engler says.
“In some circumstances, overtime is more cost-effective than adding permanent positions or outsourcing specialized work.” Engler says says several factors have contributed to increased overtime, including new fire stations, additional medic units, employee leave, training requirements and contractual staffing provisions.
“We recognize that consistently high overtime can also signal a need for additional staffing,” Engler says. Since 2019, the City has approved 33 new firefighter and firefighter-paramedic positions. Engler says those positions have significantly reduced overtime costs, and LFR continues to evaluate staffing strategies.
Engler also says LFR fully cooperated with the Auditor’s review and provided requested records. He also notes the Auditor determined that a separate financial audit to be unnecessary at this time.
Click here for KLIN’s original story with State Auditor Mike Foley.