Colorado Springs wildfire to cost more than $4 million in overtime
The Waldo Canyon fire, which has been burning in Colorado Springs since June 23, is nearly contained. However, the city and its surrounding areas have only just started to fully realize the impact of the disaster. Colorado Springs will have to figure out how to foot the $4 million bill for firefighters' overtime, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
"While the local Waldo Canyon firefighting efforts have concluded, we expect nearly all Fire Department staff to be in an overtime status until the Fire Department's Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) time period concludes in mid-July, so there will be continuing cost impacts," Chief of Staff Laura Neumann said in an email, as reported by the source.
The FLSA considers all firefighters to be nonexempt workers as long as they are trained in fire suppression and possess the legal authority to engage in this task, are employed by a fire department and are engaged in putting a fire out or are responding to an emergency situation. If employees meet this criteria, their employers are obligated to pay them time-and-a-half for their work.
If the fire department faces a budget crunch in the future as the result of the costs it took to extinguish Colorado's largest wildfire, they might consider cutting back on payroll costs during non-emergency situations. An advanced payroll processing system can help managers identify times that require fewer on-duty staff members.
"While the local Waldo Canyon firefighting efforts have concluded, we expect nearly all Fire Department staff to be in an overtime status until the Fire Department's Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) time period concludes in mid-July, so there will be continuing cost impacts," Chief of Staff Laura Neumann said in an email, as reported by the source.
The FLSA considers all firefighters to be nonexempt workers as long as they are trained in fire suppression and possess the legal authority to engage in this task, are employed by a fire department and are engaged in putting a fire out or are responding to an emergency situation. If employees meet this criteria, their employers are obligated to pay them time-and-a-half for their work.
If the fire department faces a budget crunch in the future as the result of the costs it took to extinguish Colorado's largest wildfire, they might consider cutting back on payroll costs during non-emergency situations. An advanced payroll processing system can help managers identify times that require fewer on-duty staff members.
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