CHICAGO — Inspector General Joe Ferguson said the Chicago Fire Department could save at least $1.2 million a year by hiring civilians to perform administrative jobs.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the department could also potentially save millions more in overtime by hiring 34 administrative jobs that have nothing to do with firefighting or EMS to eliminate the job of commissary liaison. Ferguson said the move would improve public safety outcomes and response time to fire and EMS emergencies.
“The city makes a substantial investment in training firefighters and paramedics to be the best-in-class providers of critical public safety services,” Ferguson said. “CFD does not make the most effective and efficient use of that specialized, taxpayer-subsidized training and expertise when it assigns a segment of its skilled ranks to administrative functions that could be performed by civilians.”
The fire department embraced Ferguson’s recommendation on 32 of the 35 targeted positions. Commissioner Jose Santiago agreed to follow Ferguson’s recommendation to “assess all positions, monitor and track temporary assignments and ensure that job descriptions reflect actual responsibilities of uniformed positions.”
Tom Ryan, president of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, thinks otherwise.
“Mr. Ferguson is entitled to his opinion. But the positions referenced in his report are staffed by firefighters and paramedics and are essential to the efficient functioning of the Fire Department,” he said. “These jobs are covered under our current contract and, therefore, can only be discussed in negotiations.”