(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, the work week of a within rank member of the Fire Division shall average fifty-four hours per week. Pursuant to Ohio R.C. 4115.02, the Fire Chief shall divide the uniform force into three platoons, with a work schedule based on an average of fifty-six hours per week, each platoon to work a twenty-four hour tour. No member shall be on regular duty more than a total of 168 hours in any period of twenty-one days. After each platoon has worked its twenty-four consecutive hours of duty, it may be allowed to remain off duty for the next forty-eight consecutive hours, except in cases of extraordinary emergency. During each quarter each member shall be entitled to one working day off. Such days off shall be chosen, independent of vacation leave. In addition thereto, each member shall be entitled to have eight hours credited to accumulated overtime. This section shall not apply to the hours of duty of the Chief of Fire, the Assistant Chief of Fire or the officers and men of the Bureau of Fire Prevention not performing fire fighting duties.
With the approval of the Director of Public Safety, the Chief of Fire and/or his member nominee shall be permitted to authorize members of the Division to work in excess of 168 hours per twenty-one day period. In such cases, the Chief or his nominee shall keep an accurate record of all time worked in excess of 168 hours per twenty-one day period and each member shall be credited with accrued overtime at a rate of one and one-half hours for each excess hour he has worked and such accrued overtime shall be cumulative without limit. All claims for excess time worked shall be approved by the Chief of Fire and the Director of Public Safety and current records of excess time accumulated or taken off shall be forwarded to the office of the Auditor within seven days of such time off or time accumulated, so as to become a permanent record in the City. This section does not affect the hours accumulated prior to April 4, 1977.
Accumulated overtime credited as provided above shall be redeemed in one of the following ways:
(1) The employee shall be granted compensatory time-off duty. For each hour granted off duty, one and one-half hours shall be charged against accumulated overtime credit.
(2) In the alternative, the City shall have the option, at its discretion and at any time, to purchase back any portion or all of a member's accumulated overtime credits, including, but not limited to, any credits earned prior to the effective date of this paragraph (Ordinance 101-80, passed October 6, 1980). If the City chooses to exercise this option, overtime credit earned from and after October 1, 1980, shall be redeemed at the hourly wage rate in effect at the time the excess hours were actually worked. Overtime credit earned prior to October 1, 1980, shall be redeemed at the hourly wage rate in effect at the time the overtime is being redeemed.
The hours of employment as provided within this section shall not apply to officers and members of the Division who are assigned to perform duties other than that of fire fighting and whose work does not require them to be on duty constantly for a platoon period.
(Ord. 52-72. Passed 4-17-72; Ord. 19-73. Passed 4-16-73; Ord. 32-77. Passed 4-4-77; Ord. 101-80. Passed 10-6-80.)
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) hereof, a member of the Division of Fire, within rank, who, upon discharge, resignation, death or retirement from the Division, has accumulated compensatory time due, shall be paid for such compensatory time at the average regular rate of pay received by that employee during his or her last three years of employment, or at the employee's final regular rate of pay at his or her termination, whichever is greater.
(Ord. 302-88. Passed 11-21-88.)
(c) When a fireman is called in for emergency overtime, he or she be paid for a minimum of three hours, based on a time and one-half rate, which will be based on a forty-hour week, according to his or her current salary rate. Payment for such time worked shall be included in the next possible pay period.
(Ord. 91-82. Passed 6-9-82.)