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Work Vs. Fire Service
Do any of ya'll volunteer's have trouble with your day jobs letting you go to calls? If so how do you handle it? I recently got a part time job, and I made a condition for hire that they let me go on fire calls (well, the ones besides medicals cuz it's the next town over), and they agreed. Now one of the bosses was trying to get me fired over the fact that I have to leave sometimes. The other boss wouldn't let this boss fire me cuz this establishment agreed to my condition at hire. We're under new managment now so corporate is involved and labour costs have become an issue so everyone's hours are being cut, but I feel like the scheduling manager (the who wanted me fired) is really hacking mine to pieces to try and drive me to quit. So what do you ya'll do in those type situations?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Really living is optional on
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At first she said she cut hours cuz of FF then I said to her about what if your house catches on fire. So she changed it to being on disability. Arkansas is an "at will" state. Learned that in my business law class. We don't have employee handbooks. Heck, they needed help so bad that when I went down to talk to them I started immediately w/o filling out any paperwork and with no idea of what my pay rate would be. She's basically giving the hours to the ones that kiss her butt. The good manager who told me to go to SSA said she'll probably get canned over it being discrimination. Heck I don't know maybe she'll end up back in prison. She has no past managerial experience. Our dept. has less than 20 ppl, I'm not sure how many are on our auto aid. There was no problem with me getting at least a decent amount of hours with my cap when the other manager was doing scheduling but now she took over and basically tied his hands with that. We're a small store so don't do a whole heck of a lot of business. $1000.00 a day vs McD's $1000.00/hr. So sometimes they're paying out more on payroll than they bring in. But yeah, she screwed up royaly when she dropped the 'D' bomb. Gonna be checking into all that before I finish my wildland class tomorrow night.
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Permalink Reply by ee779 on
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Just a little insider info. An employer does not have to let you leave for a call, the one's that do usually do so if you clock out. but, if you are at a call and will be late for work or you miss a day because you are at a call BEFORE the time you're sceduled to start your shift make sure an officer of the fire company calls your employer or sends a letter stating the times of dispatch and release. By federal law that is the only thing that can keep you from getting fired for missing time!
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Permalink Reply by Chief25sr on
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Tread carefully, listen to the advise everyone is giving you. Alot of work places will not let you leave. If your new management doesn't want to let you leave than so be it. Otherwise you'll only give them the excuse to constantly keep an eye on you and look for a reason to let you go.
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Permalink Reply by Amy on
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Where I'm from it's state law that if I should be late or unable to go to work because of a call the employer can't take action against me. But I can't leave work to go on a call. I work at a gas station and if I'm late or don't show up I'm really screwing over the other person who is on the shift. We get an incentive each week if we don't come in late, go home early or call off. So if I go to a call and am late to work or can't go in to work I lose my incentive for the week. Now luckily the manager is a member at the same company I am and she understands the situation and if I should be late she'll try to fudge the schedule so I still get my incentive. There are times when she can't though and I have lost my incentive.
Basically I follow my own guidelines for going to a call before work. I won't go to a call if it's less an an hour and a half before my shift... unless it is something minor that I know I'll still make it to work on time. It doesn't always work but most of the time it does. The only time it didn't work was one day 2 hours before my shift we got toned out for a working structure fire... I went and would have made it to work on time but.... my engine got relocated to a possible structure fire/smoke in a structure call just as the first call was being mopped up. So til we got done at the 2nd call and I went home and got a shower I was 1 or 2 hours late for work. I lost my incentive plus the hour or 2 pay.
The way I see it is my job pays my bills not volunteering... I try to go to every call possible but there are some that work has to come before.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Bitnun on
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As most of the people have already said volunteering doesn't pay the bills, so find out what your employer has to say about leaving for calls. I a lucky enough to work for a boss that understands the fire service. My boss was married to a ff for a few years. She has told me that she understands if I come in to work late on occasion. Most of the time if we get a call and I am a head with my work I can leave and go on the call without having to clock out. Also if am close to the end of my shift I can leave to go on the call. all in all I have to say that I have a pretty cool boss who understands what I do, even if I'm not getting paid for it.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Bump
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Permalink Reply by roy yoder on
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Well I am the boss. I own my own well drilling and electrical business and being a paid firefighter along with being a Vol. asst. chief. When I am on duty at my paid job I can't leave and go to any fire unless mutual aid is called, so I have a phone number for you to call. 1-800-wa-wa. Saying that I have employees that vol. and if they are on the clock they stay on the clock when they go to a call. If it is close to quitting time and they go back to the job, time goes till they quit. If they had a big one the night before and can't make the morning they just get off. Most of the time they work late or make up for it some way and we still get the job done. I see that you can't do that. So here is the bottom line, go to work and make the calls you can make without leaving your work, or find a paid job firghting fire (you did say you are trying start on your own right) if needed relocate, or find a boss like me. I do belive that vol. have the right spirit about them and sometimes our bosses don't but they are still the BOSS. Staying there and still ticking her off makes it that much harder for her to like the rest of us. Please look out for your brothers and see a big view. I know its hard it was told me 28 years ago also. Keep the faith and stay safe. TRAINING
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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on
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Work has to come first- it pays the bills.
If you don't have a formal written agreement or EBA or similar, then you probably don't have much of a leg to stand on.
I used to work for an employer that was fantastically supportive- we were allowed to leave at any time, on full pay. If we were out for more than 8 hours the night before, we were entitled to 8 hours off the following day, with full pay. We could leave for extended periods such as strike teams for bushfires, etc.
But this is definitely the exception to the rule! I have not heard of any employers being this generous....
To also throw my opinion into it, if you came to ne and used the line, "I tried explaining to her what if her house was on fire and other employers wouldn't let ff's go?" then I'd ask you to make sure the door didn't hit you in the arse on the way out for the last time- ultimatums and this sort of underhanded threats do nothing- I have a business to run, I need workers, and I need reliable workers. My business costs me money to run and if you're not there, then I have to pay someone else or someone needs to pick up the slack that you've left. It's a hard one- damned if you do, damned if you don't....
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Work comes first, you must pay the bills. It is a at-will state, well that says it all right there. Your employer does not have to let you leave for any fire call. Even if your work was on fire they could make you stand out back and watch the fire while on duty. They may out of the kindness of their heart, allow you to punch out then leave, but look at our economy these days... if whatever you do at work is not getting done, how does that fit into your employers business plan? They are in business to make money.
You stated you are disabled, correct? Not phishing for info about the disability, under the term... what are you allowed to do for the fire department? Is there restrictions? Lastly, you state the town department is paid with volunteer support, in these cases they have a paid department to not burden the vollie or the employer on the little calls...
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Permalink Reply by Dre on
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That crazy job of yours is probably thinking that you punch in to do work ...for them. And that they hired you and pay you to work...well, for them. And also that if you leave during working hours and go get hurt on a call that they might be liable for your worker's comp.
I think they tried to accomodate your needs about barely working, and coming and going as you please. Which is really hard to do, regardless of the reason. You could get the NLRB &/or EEOC involved, but it would need to be provable.
Look at it from the employer's POV, if someone else would come in, work, not pitch a fit about those crazy 'employment guidelines' and could work more than 4 hours a century, I'd give them some hours. Assuming, that there was some work around, and SOMEONE had to do it. I know service to community is great, you don't gotta sell me. A lot of your senior ffs have told you the deal.
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Permalink Reply by Andy Entwistle on
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Personally I don't think you should be leaving work for calls unless a fire officer specifically calls to say we need YOU. And then you ASK if you can go.
I have been late a twice in the last year but it was acceptable to my employer because 1) I called in as soon as I knew I would be late, and 2) I immediatley put in slips to cover the lost time with leave hours.
Although I do not believe the bill currently in Congress covers your case, (it says nothing about leaving work), for those interested, go to http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1643
House Bill 1643, introduced in 2007 and currently sitting in committee, prohibits negative job actions (like demotion) based on tardiness or absences due to volunteer emergency service. However, it also says that you don't get paid for the lost time - which sounds reasonable - and they can demand documentation - again, reasonable.
Just my two cents.
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Permalink Reply by Lester Pearsall on
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I'm one of the lucky ones whose boss allows me to respond to fires and wrecks during the work day. All I have to do is make the time/work up. KY has a law that keeps you from being fired if you are late to work due to a call.
However, like everyone else has said, work comes first unless you can afford to start looking for a new job. I lost one job due to a run, however when I was employed we had an agreement that I would probably miss a fewy mornings due to runs. When I filed for unemployment, that agreement got me my benefits. So keep that in mind if you in fact have an agreement.
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