MYTHS ABOUT COSTA MESA’S FIREFIGHTERS MYTH 1 We pay firefighters too much for a job that anybody could do. It’s a common misperception that firefighters merely fight fires. In fact, a Costa Mesa firefighter’s job includes far more. Like most of our counterparts across the industrialized world, the Costa Mesa Fire Department (CMFD) has evolved into an allrisk public-safety department with a wide range of responsibilities. We’re inspectors, checking out every business, school and apartment building in the city for fire safety. We’re also the city’s arson inspectors. We’re teachers, too. We conduct educational programs for kids in pre-school and fifth grade, the ages when they’re most vulnerable and most ready to learn the skills that keep them and their families safe. CMFD is proud to manage an Explorer Scout fire program for young men and women who hope to become firefighters. For every adult, we offer the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training and the Citizens Fire Academy. We also serve in the front-line for Orange County adult/juvenile protective services, assisting dozens of senior citizens and children every year who are victims of abuse. We’re emergency-room personnel—without the benefit of an emergency room. Firefighters respond to an assortment of medical distress calls every day, including heart attacks, diabetic emergencies, broken bones, strokes and unconscious patients. On our best days, we deliver babies. In the post-9/11 world, we’re trained to handle weapons of mass destruction and terrorist threats, along with equally dangerous, often complex hazardous-materials incidents. We free people trapped in car accidents, and are trained to complete other highly specialized rescues—confined-space, trench, swift-water and rope, for instance. And because Costa Mesa is bounded by wild lands—in a county bordered by vast tracts of open space and national forest—we’re trained to fight brush fires. It takes a lot of equipment to handle the rigors of modern firefighting, and Costa Mesans trust us to keep all of it—including our stations—in top condition. We do that. As you can imagine, all of this highly technical work requires constant training—hours of work to remain ready to perform these related tasks. Each firefighter is required to train at least 240 hours per year; the state of California requires paramedics to complete an additional 24 hours of medical education per year.

And, yes, we fight fires, too, wherever they are—in houses and apartments, offices and retail businesses, high rises and strip centers, in parking garages, churches and occasionally even in schools. We’re paid well for these proficiencies. Depending on rank and tenure, we earn from $21 to $39 per hour, about what most skilled labor professionals earn; the current average hourly is $31.84. Our firefighter/paramedics earn just $4 more an hour to perform their duties. There’s overtime, of course—time-and-a-half pay when we’re called to cover for vacation or sick leave, mandatory training, injuries, and vacancies. As in most business environments, it’s sometimes cheaper for the city to ask us to work overtime rather than to create additional positions due to the training costs, benefits, Workers’ Compensation insurance and other expenses associated with each vacant position. Some critics suggest the job could be handled by volunteers. But volunteers are called upon primarily in rural communities with sparse populations, and they’re not free: There’s still the matter of workers compensation insurance, outfitting, training, management, and continuing-education costs to maintain a viable program. In addition, reserve or volunteer firefighters generally use such programs to springboard into a fulltime career elsewhere. For that reason, volunteer programs become revolving doors. Burdened with the costs of training entry-level firefighters it soon loses to better-paying jobs, volunteer cities are always exposed to greater risk. A professional program requires a great deal of its members. The men and women who can handle this work generally begin with a minimum two-year college education; 74% of our members already have a two- or four-year degree. To become a Costa Mesa firefighter, prospective candidates enroll in an eight-semester core fire technology courses through a community college. After completion, the person enters a 14- to 16week fire academy; for most of us, this boot camp will be among the single greatest professional challenges in our lives. Completing the classes and academy is just the beginning. After that, a person enters the city’s own testing process, a rigorous assessment that includes a written exam, physical agility test, oral panel interview, background check, psychological testing, physical exam and the chief’s interview. If you’re applying for a paramedic position, you’ll perform a “mega code” to demonstrate your abilities. Despite the rigors, some continue, training to become paramedics. First, of course, there are the pre-requisites, including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and electrocardiography (EKG). Pass those, and you move on to paramedic school, an intensive, six-month training taught by doctors and nurses. Some medical professionals will assert that paramedic school is the equivalent of two years of medical school. In spite of that challenge, two-thirds of all CMFD personnel are paramedic-trained. The training and testing continue after hiring. There’s a comprehensive certification program in swift water, confined space, trench rescue, rope rescue, collapse rescue,

hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction, arson investigation, fire prevention and community education. We believe that’s one reason we’re among the very best in the nation. And we know that that’s what Costa Mesa’s residents expect and deserve. MYTH 2 We have more firefighters than we need. We take it as a sign of the public’s confidence that we’re called upon to do more and more—and to do so with increasing efficiency. We respond with superb training and better equipment, of course. But an all-risk public-safety department requires some staff. Today, we have less. Here are the numbers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, CMFD employed 36 full-time firefighters daily and responded to about 6,000 service calls per year. In the early 2000s, full-time daily staffing dipped to 32 firefighters per shift. Now we’re at 28 per shift responding to nearly 10,000 calls for service per year. That dramatic increase in our workload—from about 166 annual calls per daily staff to 357—is one sign that, far from being overstaffed, CMFD is in fact overworked or incredibly efficient . . . or both. Not long ago, CMFD administrative staffing included a Fire Chief, Deputy Chief of Operations, Training Officer, EMS Coordinator and a Fire Marshal. Today, we have only an interim Fire Chief; in addition to their already demanding assignments, rank and file firefighters have shouldered the remaining administrative duties. MYTH 3 Firefighters retire at 50 with pensions based on 99% of their salary—too young with too much. Like any public employee throughout the state, a Costa Mesa Firefighters could retire at age 50. But the firefighter who retires at 50 is a rarity. In fact, the average Costa Mesa firefighter is hired at age 27. In order to earn the maximum pension benefit of 3% of salary per years of service, that firefighter has to work for 30 years. That puts the average age of retirement closer to 57 (as opposed to 60 to 65 in other non-safety departments) and the typical pension at 90% of salary. Is that too young? Knowledgeable observers don’t think so. They know that firefighting puts unusual physical demands on a firefighter’s body. Not surprisingly, there are injuries, the most significant of which occur to firefighters after age 50. Those injuries sometimes leave a firefighter’s colleagues vulnerable in dangerous situations. They also produce a higher number of workers compensation claims to the city. Retiring firefighters earlier actually saves the city money.

MYTH 4 When they retire so young, many firefighters are still so healthy that they’re able to continue working—collecting retirement and a paycheck at the same time. Since 2001, about a quarter of Costa Mesa Firefighters have retired with some kind of medical ailment that limits ability to obtain a job when they retire. Among the rest, some could continue to work after retirement. In fact, very few choose to do so. Only three percent of retired employees double dip—that is, defer their pensions while reentering salaried service in management or chief officer positions. MYTH 5 Firefighters don’t care about the community because they don’t live here. Living in a place is no pre-requisite for caring. History shows that people separated by race, language, religion, gender, ethnicity, even thousands of miles will give generously to those in need; it’s part of the human spirit. Firefighters are no different. We get into this work precisely because we care. But to be able to protect the people of Costa Mesa every workday isn’t just a job, it’s an honor, labor that satisfies at some deep level a spiritual appetite to help others. And though we don’t like to talk about it—the best charity remains a secret—it’s perhaps worth mentioning the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association’s charity fund. Since 2005, we’ve given the community $81,129 in charity contributions. This includes local high school scholarships, youth sports donations, computer equipment for local schools, PTA donations, Costa Mesa Community Foundation, Pop Warner Football, YMCA, fire victim gift cards, Cub Scouts, local churches, CM United, CM Chamber and several other charitable events and organizations. It’s also common for firefighters to visit schools, participate in cancer walks while off duty, serve lunch to seniors on the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving, and we donate time, expertise, and materials to build handicapaccessibility for injured residents, and visit churches for public education events and/or show and tell. Then, too, there’s our work schedule. Even non-resident firefighters live in Costa Mesa more than one third of the year—an average of 140 24-hour shifts per firefighter per year for upwards of 30 years. By one estimate, firefighters spend over $100,000 in Costa Mesa businesses annually. More important, while we’re inspecting businesses, responding to medical calls, and doing community service—meeting people when they’re at the absolute best and worst—Costa Mesa firefighters are forging lifelong relationships.

MYTH 6 Firefighters get the best benefits packages, including vacation and sick leave and pensions, and they don’t contribute toward those benefits. When it comes to vacation and sick leave, CMFD firefighters earn a benefit that’s equivalent to most private-sector workers—accruing about 12 of vacation and 6.72 hours of sick time per month. Health insurance is covered for the employee, but dependent (family) coverage is not; we pay for that ourselves, an average of $900 per month. Until recently, when the city council allowed our agreement to expire, we paid six percent of our pension contribution worth an estimated $600,000 yearly savings. CMFD firefighters now pay one percent of pension costs. A few weeks ago, CMFA offered to pay the same amount towards our pension as the city CEO, the entire employee cost plus more, saving the city over 1 million dollars a year in pension costs. We are waiting for a response.

MYTH 7 Overtime counts towards pension, and this is considered pension spiking. This statement is simply not true. Pensions are calculated on what is referred to a “pensionable” income, and overtime is not pensionable. Fact is, overtime is rated at time and a half of the firefighters hourly wage. MYTH 8 Firefighters spend most of their time lounging around the firehouse, and the city pays for their food and creature comforts. We’ve already described the ever-growing workload of a Costa Mesa firefighter (see Myth 1, above). When we’re not responding to emergencies, these job-related tasks keep firefighters very busy. Firefighters pay out of pocket for all personal items at the stations, including all food, computers, internet access, cable TV and televisions. MYTH 9 State and local governments are failing, but firefighters won’t negotiate. The Costa Mesa Firefighters Association has always made itself available to meet with the city to discuss ways to help the city balance its budget. Over the past few years, the CMFA has agreed to reduce staffing, pay more toward retirement, and has declined raises that were contractually due. According to city finance director Bobby Young, in 2008, firefighters and the city negotiated to reduce staff by 12—saving the city approximately $1.1 million dollars per year for the four years beginning 2010. Last summer, we worked with city officials to find an additional $1 million per year in savings by merging Costa Mesa Fire with the Orange County Fire Authority.

We pride ourselves on being the men and women Costa Mesans call in an emergency. The financial challenges facing Costa Mesa constitute a threat as grave as any fire, and we are determined to be a part of the solution.

MYTH 10 A recent Costa Mesa employee compensation report showed that Costa Mesa firefighters make a killing on overtime. That sort of overtime pay is just more evidence that firefighters have rigged the pay and benefits system. What the city’s compensation report doesn’t show is that the councilmembers complaining loudest about high employee compensation are responsible for driving up employee pay. Here’s how that works. The city council refuses to fill several vacant positions in the fire department. But the work still must be done, of course; emergencies don’t wait for political convenience. So, those of us still working are required to fill the vacant positions. We get paid to do all this, of course, but after working round the clock at the station, most of us would rather have the time with our families. Instead, while the average American worker puts in about 2,080 hours per year, a majority of Costa Mesa firefighters put in more than 3,300 hours last calendar year. It was as if we’d taken on second jobs; indeed, the city’s top-paid firefighter absorbed the responsibilities of four managers. Without that context, the numbers in the city’s compensation plan look excessive. We’ve asked the city to offer the public an explanation along with the numbers. It refuses to do so—a refusal that leaves neutral observers confused about the meaning of the numbers. Here’s Orange County Register reporter Teri Sforza’s analysis of Costa Mesa compensation: The important context to those high overtime figures—according to both [Costa Mesa Firefighters Association President Tim] Vasin and city manager [Tom] Hatch—is that the city had about nine vacancies in its firefighting ranks for much of 2011. Since pink slips have been issued to a large percentage of city staffers, and since it’s unclear whether the city will continue to have a fire department—it may join the regional Orange County Fire Authority, or pursue other options—only two firefighters were hired last year as vacancies arose. Instead, the department decided to rely on overtime to fill in the blanks. The bottom line: the work associated with a rising number of vacant staff positions has been delegated to fewer and fewer firefighters; that produces an increase in overtime pay.

MYTH 11 The Costa Mesa Fire Department is overstaffed. We can do more with less. Of all the myths surrounding fire services, this is among the most complex. In part that’s because the number of firefighters required to run the department is linked to the department’s mission—a highly technical mission that includes far more than merely putting out fires. (See Myth No. 1, above.) In a recent interview, City Councilman Jim Righeimer told Orange County Register reporter Teri Sforza that CMFD could manage fire services “with six people per shift, but they want to do it with 18 or 19 people because that’s what their contract says.” In fact, our contract requires 28 people per shift (not 18 or 19). That contract is built not on guesswork or political ideology but on an objective measure of our responsibilities. Now, intelligent minds can disagree about whether fire fighters ought to respond to medical emergencies, car accidents, terrorist threats, hazardous-materials spills and other non-fire emergencies. But the fact is that we do. For the moment, at least, political leaders in Costa Mesa—and in most cities in most industrialized nations around the globe—have decided that that’s our job. Until the residents of Costa Mesa, speaking through their elected leaders, decide otherwise, we’ll continue to do what we’ve been tasked to do. We hope, in turn, that politicians will defer to our experience—and the experience of other emergency-services experts—in determining how many men and women we require to handle those tasks. Americans have learned through painful experience what happens when politicians pretend to understand, for example, how to manage a war better than the generals who’ve actually fought them. Similarly, we won’t presume to tell councilmembers how to handle their day jobs—how to negotiate a real estate deal or run a bar. We hope they won’t tell us how to do the jobs we’ve been trained to do—and that we do well. MYTH 12 The OCFA does more than CMFD with less. This is a corollary to Myth No. 12, but it relies on a specific comparison with the Orange County Fire Authority. And this myth is no myth—so far as it goes. Because it covers 22 cities, the OCFA is able to achieve huge economies of scale. Operating 65 fire stations (with the addition of Santa Ana in the next few months, that number will grow to 75), the OCFA can back up county fire stations in one city with county fire stations in another. It can, in short, cover more territory with relatively fewer firefighters. Costa Mesa can’t do that—can’t simply demand that stations in other cities back us up on high-demand days.

The OCFA’s flexibility and efficiency is one of the reasons Costa Mesa firefighters last summer proposed that the CMFD merge with the OCFA. Our study of that option—a study conducted by city and county staff—showed that merging fire services would save Costa Mesa over a million dollars per year and produce the same high standard of service we produce today. That plan was presented to the council nearly a year ago. The council has yet to respond.

MYTH 13 The firefighters “union” mandates dues from all the firefighters, and part of those dues go towards political action. In fact, the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association is not a closed shop union— in other words, firefighters are not required to join the CMFA as a condition of employment. Further, no member of CMFA is required to contribute to the association’s political action committee; those contributions are purely voluntary, and some of our members choose not to contribute.