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By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Friday, March 2, 2012 | 2 a.m.
J. Patrick Coolican
Sun archives
Related stories
- Clark County firefighters’ use of sick leave falls by 57,000 hours
- Under microscope, county firefighters taking less sick leave (7-21-2011)
- Firefighter terminated for abusing county sick-leave system (5-18-2011)
- FBI sifts through 250,000 e-mails for firefighter sick-leave probe (5-15-2011)
- Fire union official defends heavy use of sick leave in ’09 (3-6-2011)
- Under scrutiny, firefighter sick leave falls (2-27-2011)
- Sisolak offers proof of firefighters ‘gaming’ sick leave system (9-11-2010)
I’m sure I’m not alone in thanking the good Lord that Clark County firefighters have experienced a miraculous wave of good health.
Not long ago, our firehouses were sicker than your average kindergarten class. Sicker than Ferris Bueller.
Bacteria and viruses apparently had their way with rank-and-file firefighters, who averaged 227 hours of sick time two years ago.
Maybe the amateur cooks making firehouse chili were spreading food poisoning. A local Camus could have written a Las Vegas firehouse update of “The Plague.”
Whatever it was, I believe I speak for all of us when I say I was quite concerned about this epidemic of sickness and wondering if they were recovered enough to run into burning buildings to save us.
Now it’s like the Fire Department discovered penicillin or acai berries, as sick hours among Clark County’s bravest declined by 57,000 hours during the past two fiscal years.
A county report obtained by my colleague Joe Schoenmann found that within those 57,000 hours, battalion chiefs’ sick leave fell from an average of 164 hours two years ago to about 16 hours last year, a 90 percent decline.
For rank-and-file firefighters, the average hours of sick leave fell from 227 hours two years ago to 136 hours last year, a 40 percent drop.
(In firefighters’ world of 24-hour shifts, 227 hours is only a little more than nine shifts, so, you know, no big deal. To me and you, that’s five and a half work weeks. New mothers often take less time off to have their babies.)
Of course, something tells me the newly found good health wasn’t penicillin or acai berries or time in the gym (they always managed plenty of time in the gym when they were racking up sick leave anyway).
No, adult supervision is what cured them.
Firefighters had been planning their “sick time” ahead of time, to enable their colleagues to load up on overtime. Hey, I’ll be sick tomorrow and the day after, and then you be sick the day after that. It was a beautiful system, a lottery ticket with hundreds of winners.
The taxpayers were the losers, as were the disabled and mentally ill and other people the county could have helped with money wasted on our sick firefighters.
Excuse me, I’m feeling a little ill.
Call the Pope: It's a miracle! The cure for common greed, I believe...
Habits are hard to change. You have to watch these overpaid guys carefully. Make them bring in doctor's notes. Actually a few of these local public servants really live in Oregon and other states.
""Actually a few of these local public servants really live in Oregon and other states""
Wow, one hell of a commute to work!
Most were busy running thier side businesses to show up.
Like my dad used to say, 'Nothing cures like a spotlight'.
These firefighters really thought they could get away with taking mega sick leave like this, what ignorance.
I can understand taking a day or 2 now and then(who has not done that?) but damm..
Our "heros" in action, but it looks like they have seen the light and are all now "fiscal conservatives". How else would you explain their endorsement of Bob Beers....lol. These guys don't miss a trick do they?
Terminate the employment of each and every one of them.. They are easily replaced. Then lets just continue with that policy for all public service personnel.
Even at 136 hours, that sure is a sickly bunch. Perhaps the county should consider replacing them with more hardy employees. After all, we need our firefighters to be healthy.
If any employee of a private company was sick 136 hours, they would be looking for another job. I say fire and replace them all. They cost tax payers far more than they should.
Don't vote for any representative that is endorsed by the Firefighters Union.
9 1/2 shifts is a months work for a fire fighter. They may work 24 hour shifts but they only work 10 shifts a month. They are still sick almost 10% of their scheduled work days on AVERAGE. Improvement in taking undeserved time off may be good but it is still ridiculous.
They should ALL be fired and replaced and the union disbanded. They are criminals.
Thank you for pointing out that mothers regularly get less time for their newborns, and that it is the poor, the ill, and the weak who are hurt the most when people rip off public systems.
As a taxpayer, I am enraged at the firemen (still). As a human being, I scream for those who are hurt the most by the egregious self-interest and lack of community spirit displayed.
And we know the government employees still have TOO MANY PERKS. They should not be accruing so much sick leave. Throughout the state, employees who don't manage to burn up their sick leave can "donate" it to other employees who have burned up all of theirs--want to bet there are no "sales" to friends? And then any left over sick leave increases retirement benefits. Many thousands of employees get 4 hours per pay period--times 26 is 104 hours per year--to accrue forever and ever. Think the Governor Sandoval got legislation to cut back for NEW hires but that will take us DECADES TO REIN IN SICK LEAVE FOR ALL OTHER STATE EMPLOYEES. City, County, School District all give OVERLY GENEROUS sick leave accruals. Knew of a case years back where a corrections supervisor was disciplined for questioning employee misuse of sick leave.....
Good morning, Patrick. As I have written before, firefighters were not a lone act. There are plenty of government employees who frequently claim false ailments which portray them as not being physically capable of performing the duties of their posts. In short, no doubt, the insurmountable sick leave used by the Nevada Department of Corrections (from my personal observations), among others, is just another scam on taxpayers.
When I retired from state service nearly four years ago, the state prison employees most likely had a clear lead versus other agencies as "kleptomaniacs" in sick leave abuse.
In proper defense of prison management, departmental officials fought the unions unsuccessfully for many years attempting to bring this problem under control. Nothing, was working.
I decided to submit a proposal to rectify this problem. Here were the guidelines:
Each institution, would be allotted, by the legislature, a specific amount of paid sick leave hours for their staff. The allotment would be clearly in the parameters of the department's budget for each particular institution.
Once this allotment "ran dry", all sick leaves from this point on until the next convening legislative session would be unpaid. (Wow!!! You could be assured that staff would be watching very closely the use of sick leave by other prison staff in their institution). Not bad, huh? Nothing like, "The Team" having to be responsible to the team and govern themselves, per se. On the other hand, low use of sick leave, would allocate additional points for use in cases of catastrophic illnesses.
I was shocked, to say the least, when of all groups, prison management immediately rejected this proposal. It appeared, initially, to be absolutely crazy that they would "circular file" this proposal. But, after some thought on this issue, it hit me as to why prison management rejected this proposal. They were included. Yes, management's sick leave usage would deplete the sick leave fund of each institution.
Here is my point Patrick. They are all involved in this scam. From the top to the bottom of the rank-in-file. And, the taxpayer, as usual, pays the price.
Nothing cures like a spotlight...hahaha...good one Darthfrodo
At a busy Fire Dept like CCFD, an average FF will be called to help their community over a couple hundred thousands times during their career. Some of those experiences will be positive, but most are not. Sometimes a FF resolves a situation with a positive outcome and quietly goes away. No fanfare, no kudos... none required or expected. It's what they're driven and paid to do.
More commonly, FFs are called to deal with societies sickest and most disturbing moments. The moments and situations in life that nobody else wants to or knows how to deal with. Mucking around in society's muddiest trenches. Sometime this exposes FFs to physical risks, but what is rarely discussed even between FFs is the emotional risk. Sure, nobody forces a FF to do the job, but none the less they're merely human.
Every abused, assaulted, malnourished, homeless, lifeless, suicidal, decapitated, burned, drowned, etc. situation makes an imprint on their minds and hearts. An emotional and irrevocable toll is taken. Yes, bacteria, viruses and contagious diseases are a constant threat. People scream at us, spit on us, vomit on us, bleed on us, swing on us, pull guns on us....but there are more insidious dangers that nobody ever discusses. It's hard to understand unless you've spent some time in similar shoes.
How long do you think humans can handle this before emotional and psychological scars become physical? Not all sickness comes from bacteria and viruses. FFs spend 20-30 years serving their community. FFs don't always use sick time because of a fever or a productive cough. Sometimes it's a mental day, but don't ask them because they will never admit it. When you are expected to be at your best and toughest at all moments of day and night because lives depend on it, it's not acceptable to admit weakness. Repress and move on, someone else needs help so get moving. Maybe next time we can make a positive difference.
But hey, isn't it just easier and more amusing to write witty attacks about abusive government union thugs.
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Buddy, are you going to charge the tax payers for your crying towel..... or claim a fake disability due to your distress at being caught?
Good old unions at its best.
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oh, boo hoo for buddy and the rest of the clark county "firefighters". the taxpayer is sick of "firefighters" stealing from them. it seems like these guys are always at LVAC working out on our dime. thieves.
One of my buddies was a FF.
He went back into the burning house for a kid thought to be inside.
Say what you will about the problems they are facing with the facts here, but I miss my buddy. His wife and kids, neighbors and ball-teams, church members and co-workers and townies remember him fondly.
Your sympathy is not requested. I merely wished to provide an additional perspective. Any reasonable person would strive for greater understanding regardless of their current personal opinion. Especially if your expertise comes via the media. You only know what you know. One day you will likely call upon the abilities of FFs, I prey we can improve you're opinion then.
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@buddy The only perspective is that the firefighters criminally abused a system that wasn't being watched. Respect is something to be earned the FF's that abused the system don't deserve respect. Their career choice was their own.
Tell us Heretic, when did you decide all firefighters are trolls?
Was it when they had your loved one on the kitchen floor at 2am trying everything they could to save thier life is that when they became trolls?
Or was it when they were cutting your drunk a** out of a crumpled car cause you werent smart enough to get a ride is that when they became these trolls you speak of?
I know it was when they gave Jerry Lewis that huge check (that I am sure they stole from you).
Or was it the time they came over to re-light the pilot on your elderly next-door-nieghbors water heater?
It must have been the time they dove in the pool down the street with the lifeless body of the three year old thats when they beacame trolls.
You buy everything you read in a paper (a free one at that) as facts and start calling people names again, who is the real troll?
Funny that you mention that big check firefighters gave to Jerry Lewis, GIGIDY, given that they didn't collect that money ON THEIR OWN TIME, like most volunteers do.
No, they were busy walking the streets, going door to door with a boot in hand, collecting money WHILE BEING PAID OVERTIME to do it!
i'm sure those firemen can get by on $ 190,000 per year.
they don't need to cheat the public out of another $ 50,000 for sick leave.
i haven't seen a fire in 5 years...
what do those firemen do to earn $ 190,000 a year?
GIGIDY, again, you have no clue.
For somebody so offended by "name calling", you are pretty good at it.
I will give my regards at my next fire scene.
Joe Lamy writes about a firefighter, "He went back into the burning house for a kid thought to be inside." Joe, glad you revealed this about your friend. You make a very good point. Firefighters have a very dangerous job, and are willing to give their lives in saving the life of another.
The sad thing about occupations such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, teachers, etc., is that we are all, as a team, forced to wear labels that may very well not apply to the individual themselves..
Racketeering! It is clear! I am amazed they got away with it. All those campaign contributions sure have bought them all a lot of protection because a few hundred would have been charged by now if it wasn't such an incestuous relationship.
If it is true that the FEDS may get involved and open up a criminal investigation into the Firefighters sick leave gaming of the system, they should include a peek into the abuse of the Workman's Compensation system by a number of Firefighters, and be sure to look at who was responsible at the Fire Department for allowing the abuse to take place. A good part of this problem can be attributed to the "Good Old Boy" corruption network that has been allowed to run unabated here in Clark County Nevada for decades. FEDS while you are at it will you ask why & how inspections have taken place of new construction here in town when the walls have already been closed up? Probably should bring this up with ex-Fire Chief Steven Smith, Girard Page, Sandra Baker, or any of the people that have been around for a number of years! I am curious as to why the Fire Department's upper management did not allow Harrah's personnel to be interviewed regarding the highly publicized illegal remodels, which left thousands of hotel rooms unsafe for the public to stay in for a period which spanned more than a decade. Then if you don't mind ask the Fire Department why they didn't pursue the obvious illegal ASBESTOS removal from Harrah's various properties, because I thought that the Fire Department was entrusted to protect the public not cover up for Harrah's Entertainment Inc's willful criminal wrongdoing. But, to be honest the corruption extends far beyond the Clark County Fire Department...they have plenty of company.
Corrupt. Firefighters in LV have no morals. They only care about money and working 10 days a month.
Mr. Coolican, I think your buddy Joe Schoenmann threw you under the bus when he sent you this report. He has a longstanding history of bashing LV firefighters....is that his personal agenda, or that of the county? It's unfortunate you decided to further his undying cause.
Firefighters sick leave abuse is old news, as it was discovered only a HANDFUL of employees were abusing the system. While this behavior should not be condoned, it also isn't fair to brand the department as a whole as if they were all in on it. Why continue trashing these guys? Ridiculous. Find some real news.
Exactly what are the dollars and cents that have now been saved after this debacle? Are these thieves being made to return the money they stole from the taxpayers or better yet, work for free to repay the debt they have caused? I doubt it!
Glad to know that dishonesty and theft are okay so long as you have a tough job.
Lying cheats. Wow. Giving a bad name to honest government employees. I would not have my B.S. (Oregon State U.; go beavs) without the government. LV Fire is unacceptable. They should be methodically imprisoned. Unbelievable. Nice DA in Henderson, too. KillerB and Ms. Star should hook-up. Thanks to Chunky, too, as well as to Mr. Coolican. Especially to Mr. Coolican. Wow. Effin robbers (they fit well here).
In my place back east in Annapolis, we have mostly volunteer FFs. But even when I broach the subject of pay in the LV system with some of the details in chatting with professional FFs, the response is a seething anger, a dumfounded sneer of disbelief and almost rage.
Toss into the conversation the mud about 'planned sick leave' etc, book deals, etc, well they kinda turn redder than their fire engines and start drinking water to replace the boiling piss and vinegar welling up in their souls.
"And Vegas TAKES this crap??" they'll stammer and shout!
"WHYYEEE??"
One of my girlfriends is an ER doc. She was Summa Cum Laude at Stanford and finished her med school at McGill. She did her internship and a residency stint at Johns Hopkins.
She, like LV FFs, works a 24 hour shift from time to time. She makes considerably less than they and works almost non-stop in a sometimes hectic and many times INSANELY stressful role bringing the best care available to folks stumbling towards the edge of life.
Many FFs tell me the camaraderie is pretty good at the firehouse, the chili is good, and so are the cakes, pies, cookies, lattes etc.
It's easy to understand what's important in Vegas, huh?
I seriously doubt this is only due to a "Handful" of firefighters abusing the system....57,000 hrs is a lot of hours for a "Handful" of firefighters to be stealing. It means this is widespread...I guess ignorance is really bliss....LMAO
Ever notice how the firefighers don't do too much until a "good" fire reaches "emergtency declaration" status of 10 homes destroyed? Check out the recent Washoe Valley fire out of Reno. Even the news stations (4) reported with onscene reporters and as soon as 10-11 houses were gone, the Governor declared. The news outlets simultaneously said they expected local declarations. And then they started fighting the fire--not just hosing down the already leveled houses--I was in the area and watched the tv coverage. I mentioned my thoughts and a woman told me when her brother was in prison he overheard the fire chief (prisoners were used to help with various fires) say that the homeowners have insurance, so let it burn. They want their overtime and haven't been getting it the past few years. When an emergency is declared, they get federal funding for 3/4 of the costs and call in every firefighter for 100 miles or so.
OK, many firefighters are dedicated and normally do a good job. Doesn't mean we can IMPROVE the state of the "art."
Gee with their schedules, firefighters should be able to plan medical treatment for non-scheduled hours--they have plenty of time M-F 9-5. That should reduce sick leave consumption to only those situations where there is ILLNESS or INJURY.
The stories in the Sun about these fireman crooks are just slightly more infuriating than the reports in the Pasadena Star-News about how numerous classes at Pasadena City College were cancelled on the first day of school because of budget cuts--it was then revealed that many faculty members are earning $150K a year or more in salary, benefits, and overtime. (Those salaries have been posted on the college website.) http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/educatio...
Yes, Buddy, firefighting is a stressful job. It's also very stressful when I get a big property tax bill every year. This article appeared in the LA Times about the practice of salary "spiking" by soon to retire public officials. Do you have any additional excuses to make in support of the crooks spotlighted in this article? http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...
Man, I could care less what happens in Pasadena or Timbuktu for that matter. I don't make my points for argument sake. I try to add details or perspective to a subject that regularly only tells part of the story.
I have no idea how big property tax bills are in CA. In Clark County the average home owner's cost for 24/7/365 Fire and EMS protection per month is about the cost of a king size fast food meal. I own a home in Clark County and I believe of all my expenses, Fire/EMS is the most reasonable especially when compared to gas, water, trash, cable, car insurance, fuel, etc.
No one denies the physical and emotional stress that the FF, PD, and emergeny responders endure in their work, nor how they are recompensed. Nor do I suspect that there is a high percentage of them that scam the system. One of the highest profiles lately is of all governmental workers and their unions. Many are too young to remember the days of patronage that prevailed up until the 50's. Vegas long timers remember when a pit boss was fired his crew went with him and if a floor manager was fired his pit bosses and their crews went too. The same with elections. Whole staffs were fired just because a congressperson, senator, state treasurer ect lost the election. Unions eased that problem and brought their own called beauocracies. So the problems are now being addressed by Govenors across the country by trying to dump state worker unions wholesale. It is up to the unions to save themselves by cleaning up their own act. Take a chapter or two from the auto workers union and don't contribute to the demise of your well paying, deservedly, jobs.
When I first came to Nevada, the attitude of "We do it because we can," really amazed me. It is ingrained in most rural Nevadans, native, and long-time Nevadans. It has been their "swagger" and stance for many years.
But times have changed, as the population of Nevada becomes more and diverse, and now we can hear the tune,"The Party is Over My Friend," as folks who have been entrenched in their swagger being called out on it. Applying for false sick time is, in essence, stealing and abuse of trust. If anything, folks who earned "Perfect Attendance" at work should become celebrities and be treated better, given their own parking space, and special incentives.
Why does our society reward dishonesty and corruption?
Blessings and Peace,
Star
KUDOS go in large part to County Commissioner Steve Sisolak for having the courage to lead by asking the tough questions and getting answers - and cleaning up this shameful abuse of public trust!