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Home My WebLink About7/13/2005 - STAFF REPORTS (9) 2c V N NP City Council Staff Report DATE: July 13, 2005 Consent Calendar SUBJECT: SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT INCREASING THE AUTHORIZED STAFFING FOR THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE (MERR) AND THE PALM SPRINGS FIRE SAFETY UNIT (PSFSU) FROM: David H. Ready, City Manager BY: Human Resources and Fire Department SUMMARY Staff is requesting that the City Council approve a Side Letter of Agreement with the Fire Safety Unit which would provide three additional paramedics within the city service. These are not new positions, only authorizing the fire department to increase the ! incentive pay from ten paramedics to thirteen paramedics. I I RECOMMENDATION: I ! Adopt Minute Order No. approving "A SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) WITH THE PALM SPRINGS FIRE SAFETY UNIT (PSFSU) FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1, 2005 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2006 i INCREASING THE AUTHORIZED STAFFING FOR THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM. STAFF ANALYSIS: The City of Palm Springs previously developed a Paramedic Program to enhance the emergency delivery system and fire readiness in the City of Palm Springs. This program is a non-transport EMS enhancement to the existing fire/rescue system. Paramedic personnel are cross-trained in fire fighting and rescue techniques and augment fire/rescue tasks when needed. The maximum authorized staffing for the Paramedic program is currently 10 employees. I Recent promotions of two firefighter/paramedics have !eft the department with only 4 firefighter/paramedics to operate the Medic Squad from the downtown fire station. The Item No. 2 . E . other 6 paramedics are all fire engineers conducting firefighting and advanced life support operations (paramedic duties) from their assigned engines at Station 442 and 443. The fire department currently has 3 vacancies for entry level firefighter. The fire chief is recommending that those vacancies be eligible to be filled with entry level firefighter/paramedics instead of firefighters. As reflected by the Side Letter of Agreement, the City's representatives and the PSFSU's representatives have reached agreement to increase the maximum authorized staffing for the Paramedic Program from 10 to 13 employees. This is not a new position, but simply adds three additional employee's into the paramedic program. FISCAL IMPACT: The incentive pay differential for each firefighter/paramedic is $750 per month inclusive of all benefits, totaling $22,500 this fiscal year. These funds are available in the Fire Department's current budget due to the salary savings of these vacant firefighter positio s �Susa"fS E. Mills, Director HH esources David H. Ready, City anggev Blake G. Goetz, Fire ChiefY/11 Attachments: Minute Order City Council Staff Report June 13,2005 -- Page 2 MINUTE ORDER NO. APPROVING A SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) WITH THE PALM SPRINGS FIRE SAFETY UNIT (PSFSU) FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1 , 2005 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2006 INCREASING THE AUTHORIZED STAFFING FOR THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM. I, James Thompson, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that this Minute Order approving a Side Letter of Agreement to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Palm Springs Fire Safety Unit (PSFSU) for the period July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006 increasing the authorized staffing for the Paramedic Program, was adopted by the City Council of the City of Palm Springs, California, in a meeting thereof held on the 13th day of July, 2005. James Thompson, City Clerk SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT INCREASING THE AUTHORIZED STAFFING FOR THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE (MERR) AND THE PALM SPRINGS SAFETY UNIT (PSFSU) The City of Palm Springs (hereinafter the "City") and the Palm Springs Fire Safety Unit (hereinafter "PSFSU") previously entered into an agreement entitled Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Municipal Employee Relations Representative (MERR) and the Palm Springs Fire Safety Unit (PSFSU) dated January 19, 2005. In addition, the parties entered into an agreement entitled Side Letter of Agreement Increasing the Authorized Staffing for the Paramedic Program to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Municipal Employee Relations Representative (MERR) and the Palm Springs Fire Safety Unit (PSFSU) dated June 10, 2005. Therefore, the parties have met and conferred in good faith and have jointly prepared this Side Letter of Agreement, which replaces the previous Side Letter Agreement dated June 10, 2005, and extends the terms of Article 32 — Paramedic Program staffing from a total of ten (10) to a total of thirteen (13) employees. Furthermore, ARTICLE 32 — Paramedic Program of the MOU is hereby amended such that the text thereof is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: "City of Palm Springs to develop a Paramedic Program to enhance the emergency delivery system and fire readiness in the City of Palm Springs. It is understood that the Program is a non-transport EMS enhancement to the existing fire/rescue system. Paramedic personnel will be cross-trained in the fire fighting and rescue techniques and will augment fire/rescue tasks when needed. Those employee assigned to the Paramedic Program will receive compensation of an additional 15% above their current pay rate." The City's representatives and the PSFSU's representatives have reached the understanding reflected by this Side Letter and agreed to recommend same to their respective representative bodies. The parties jointly urge the City Council to adopt this Side Letter by Resolution which will provide for the MOU changes contained herein. The parties hereto acknowledge that this Side Letter shall not be in full force and effect until adoption by the City Council. Side Letter of Agreement Extending Paramedic to 13 in PSFSU MOU Page 2 Subject to the foregoing, this Side Letter is hereby executed by the authorized representatives of the City and the PSFSU and entered into this day of July, 2005. MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE PALM SPRI G 1 S FIRE SAFETY UNIT Date: Date: / — By: By:_ CITY MANAGER PRESIDENT, PSFSU By: By: HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR L P REPRESENTATIVE ATTEST: City Clerk