TAMPA, Fla. — The Polk County Fire Department is looking to fill dozens of new positions after dealing with schedule burnout.
Joe Halman Jr., deputy county manager for public safety, says his 32 years as chief of law enforcement taught him the importance of maintaining a work-life balance. This is why he and other leaders are working to provide that balance for hundreds of paramedics, EMTs and firefighters.
“We know being a firefighter is a lot of work. It’s very demanding,” he said. “Number one, they work 24-hour shifts. Number two, they see things that you and I, well not me, but you, probably will never see in a lifetime, and mentally, that can take a toll on you.”
To reduce high turnover and burnout, Halman plans to fill 75 new positions. Currently, he says Polk County Fire Rescue employs more than 800 people, with 612 of them being field personnel who often work long hours, including overtime, due to a lack of overlapping resources.
“So by having 25 extra per shift, that will allow us to basically eliminate most of the overtime,” Halman said.
Just last year, Halman says the county spent about $14 million on overtime pay. He says that money can go toward hiring more staff, along with the $9.2 million the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved this month.
“Because we want to be the destination place to work, but we’ve got to make sure our folks are healthy, make sure they’re working in a good environment, and make sure they have the tools they need,” he said.
“And the Board of County Commissioners has done a great job to ensure that we have good buildings to work out of, good equipment to operate with, and a competitive salary. Now we’ve got to deal with this schedule.”
Halman and his team expect to address the schedule issue soon, hopefully with new hires who are just as eager as he was when he first started.
