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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 Allen Wahlstrom on
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As an Employer and having been a Volunteer, I see it from both perspectives. But, businesses are in business to make money. Period. They worry about the bottom line, not waht most see as your hobby.
A perfect example is summer 06 I was working for the FIRE CHIEF of my volunteer department and when he found out I let a job site for a call, it was not a pretty scene. And I quote "I am not paying you to run calls, I am paying you to drive the equipment I provide for you."
This is a Volunteer Chief, MY Chief and he did not allow his employees to run unless it was a multiple alarm working job...
On a side thought, unless you belong to a department that does not have any station hangers, the job will get done without you.
Go to work, do your job to the best of your ability and make calls when it is on YOUR time, not the companies.
Station Hangers - vollies who hang out at the station 24/7 waiting for the next call. MIss family functions, work, other important events in hopes of making the BIG ONE.
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Permalink Reply by w1c237 on
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Alot of people have stated there are laws pertaining to being late or not making it in. Check it out,mostly you just need a note from your Chief on station letterhead giving time,date, yada yada. Leaving work.. Thats insane unless your able to swing it like that. If you own your own business or have an extremely flexible schedule. For the most part that is a major no no, and no law will help you there. My job when Im in the area I can run a call, my company doesnt like it but I call customers and explain and 99% of them have no problems with it.
You basically have 2 options at this juncture, 1. Find a new source of income. 2. Have a sit down and let them know your done running out, maybe if you really want to try pushing the envelope ask about going if a multiple alarm comes in.
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Permalink Reply by FirefighterEMT5 on
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put it this way. whether in the dictionary or in life, family comes before fire. its worth it more to support yourself or your family than to leave work for calls. you may miss "the big one" but you will be a hero to your family. also, its not like every call will occur while your at work.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Hendershott Sr on
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Check your state laws. Some states protect you from this, an employer must allow it however they dont have to pay you. Just remember your priorities. Family, job, then fire dept. Not the other way around. We would all like to be able to leave work, but it is not always possible. Look at it from the employers perspective too. He might not ba able to afford you leaving. If you are going to leave make sure it is only for calls that you truly are needed.
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Permalink Reply by Kristy Oxholm on
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I always tell new members to be very careful about leaving work for calls. Even if the employer says that they are OK with it, they sometimes don't realize what they are agreeing to. For a long time I worked for a (large) company that would let us leave for 2nd alarms and up. I have always kind of stuck to that even when I have had employers that said I could leave for all calls. To this day I don't leave unless it is a confirmed fire.
Think about it from the employer's point of view when you return. They ask what is was and the response is a false alarm or a dumpster fire, etc. After a few of those, any employer is going to wonder if they made a wrong choice in allowing FF's to respond, since it sounds like they aren't really needed...
I've also worked at a few places where I couldn't leave at all. In my current job it doesn't really matter, since my pager does not work inside the building I'm in!
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Permalink Reply by Really living is optional on
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Apparently a few things got taken out of context. I'm not the only person whose hours are being drastically cut. Corporate is now involved and they are so hyper about labour costs. But, it's just me and another person this manager does not like. What confronted the manager about was why I only had 4 hours. We went around on the f.d. issue yes, but then she openly addmitted to cutting my hours cuz I'm on disability. When I got hired on at my place of employment they had just fired someone and someone else had walked out so they were pretty desperate and willing to negotiate. My only 2 conditions for hire were, stay under the earning cap for disability and be able to leave on important calls. They agreed. We're small here so we don't rate fires by alarms. And as far as hangers...I am one.
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Permalink Reply by ffbam24 on
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She openly admitted to cutting your hours due to your being on a disability earnings cap?
I'm hoping that falls into blatant violation of ADA. Definitely look into that.
Thanks for clarifying some of this.
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do you have anything in writing?
a. you can leave work for alarms?
b. youneed to stay under a cap?
did anyone else hear her say this? and if so go to the labor board.
While I am not in favor of your leaving for alarms, I am shocked that a manager would so blatently use your disability to cut your hours. You were there when they needed help and now thaty arent short so you are expendable. Regardless of the probability your volunteer absentees are the reason, they in no way can use your disability to get rid of you. And by cutting youto 4 hours that is a passive agressive way of doing it.
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We went around on the ff thing and then she went on to the disability thing. She said I'm on disability, I have an income so she's gonna give the hours to people who need an income. I told that to the other manager who is friends with myself and the other person having trouble with this manager and he said to go to social security and file a discrimination charge. We were way in the back so I doubt anyone else heard it. No, I don't have anything in writing, but the store manager, district manager and store owner know I am emergency personal and may have to leave sometimes. They all ok'ed that. My other friend got 6 hrs for the week. She thinks she's being discriminated against too cuz she started being mean to her when she saw her fiance in a corrections dept uniform cuz she was in prison. I do plan on going to social security tomorrow.
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Permalink Reply by Bernie on
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As far as I know, you can not be fired to respond to fire calls. What I would recommend is to look over your employee handbook and ask a lawyer for some free advice if you can find one who will give it to you.
I would only leave for actual fires or calls that require manpower. Being a volunteer is a hard commitment that most employers overlook because, like you stated, labor costs and so on.
One more thing, contact your local Congressman and talk it over with him. Congressman are usually very helpful in certain circumstances.
Good luck and don't let them push you around.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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So, she didn't say that she was cutting your hours because you were a volunteer firefighter.
You said that she cut your hours because you are disabled?
She isn't real bright, is she?
Forget going to SS.
Contact the EEOC or the NLRB.
She screwed up as soon as she said the "D" word.
And if they hire you with a disability, then they can't discriminate against you in any way for that disability.
Get some legal advice, but it sounds open and shut to me.
And unless there are specific laws in your state, they CAN discipline you for leaving work, regardless of the reason, unless it is federally protected.
Also, don't let them pull that "at will" crap on you. If they have an employee handbook, then you are no longer an "at will" employee. An at will employee basically says that they can fire you "at will".
Art
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Permalink Reply by Rob Bowman on
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I know where I work, I only leave for large calls, structures, 2nd page for brush/grass, MVC's with more than 2 vehicles. We've got 40 members so there is no need for me to attend the smaller calls. My employer (a large plant with over 700 employees) understands that I leave when I absolutley have to, and they do not have a problem with that, in fact there are probably 15 volunteers from different department that work at the same location and we all work it the same way, seems to work, infact my employer even has a payroll code called "volunteer service" as they still pay us when we leave.
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