The members of the division of fire and emergency services and division of police shall be eligible for the benefits provided in sections 21-31 through 21-42.1 under the same terms and conditions as specified in those sections, and for any other benefits approved by the council for these positions. However, sworn employees shall be allowed to use vacation leave after serving six (6) months of their twelve-month probationary period, and the following exceptions shall apply to members of the division of fire and emergency services only:
(1) Every member of the division of fire and emergency services shall earn vacation leave at the rate of fourteen (14) hours per month of service for the first ten (10) years of service. Newly hired members, however, shall, for the first month of employment, only earn vacation leave at the prorated rate of three and one-half (3½) hours for each full week of service. Every member of the division of fire and emergency services with more than ten (10) years of service shall earn vacation leave at the rate of eighteen (18) hours per month of service for the duration of employment. Vacation leave credit may be accumulated to a maximum nine (9) working days, two hundred sixteen (216) hours.
(2) Effective with the initial date of employment or January 1, 1949, whichever is later, every member of the division of fire and emergency services shall be granted fourteen (14) hours' sick leave credit for each completed calendar month of service. Newly hired members, however, shall, for the first month of employment only, be granted sick leave credit at the prorated rate of three and one-half (3½) hours for each full week of service. Such sick leave may be accumulated to a maximum of thirty-five (35) working days, eight hundred forty (840) hours. Division of fire and emergency services members who have accumulated the maximum of sick leave shall continue to accumulate such credit but shall be paid for such excess accumulation each calendar year, at the member's then current pay rate, computed on an hourly basis.
(3) Members of the division of fire and emergency services may not carry forward after July 1 of any one (1) fiscal year more than one hundred twelve (112) hours of holiday leave.
(4) Members of the division of fire and emergency services shall be granted six (6) hours, of holiday leave on the twenty-fourth day of December.
(5) Members of the division of fire and emergency services may participate in the sick leave bank program created in section 21-37.2; provided, however, that they shall make annual donations of a minimum of twelve (12) hours and shall be paid benefits at their regular sick leave rates. These employees must have accumulated a sick leave balance of eight hundred forty (840) hours in order to make donations to the leave bank.
(Ord. No. 135-82, § 1, 7-29-82; Ord. No. 184-82, § 3, 10-7-82; Ord. No. 115-85, § 2, 6-27-85; Ord. No. 155-87, § 1, 7-9-87; Ord. No. 75-88, § 1, 4-21-88; Ord. No. 139-97, § 2, 6-26-97; Ord. No. 33-2001, §§ 3, 4, 2-22-01)
State law references(s)—Hours of work and annual leave for members of urban county police department, KRS 95.495(1); leave of absence for urban county fire fighters, KRS 95.500(4).