Dean Narciso
The Columbus Dispatch
WORTHINGTON, Ohio — Like a fire that refuses to be snuffed out, persistent overtime has troubled the Worthington Fire Department in recent years.
Accrued vacation, storm damage, injury and illness have contributed, Chief Scott Highley told the City Council, explaining this year’s projected $350,000 overrun.
But part of that overtime comes because the coordinator for the department’s medics, Capt. Mark Mankins, has been on desk duty since his arrest on Oct. 2 for drunken driving in Pataskala.
Mankins resigned his post on Ohio’s Emergency Medical Services Board 10 days after his arrest. He received a one-day suspension from Worthington.
The city’s insurance carrier requires that Mankins not drive a city vehicle for three years.
Mankins, a 19-year veteran of the department, typically has filled in for battalion chiefs who were sick or on vacation, Highley said. But since he can’t drive, others must substitute. Highley estimated that the changes will cost $4,000 a year in overtime.
City Manager Matthew Greeson said the one-day suspension of Mankins was appropriate.
“Capt. Mankins has had a good record for a long time, and we’re confident that this incident was a one-time error in judgment that he is remorseful about, and it won’t happen again,” Greeson said.
Mankins acknowledged that having a few beers while talking shop with colleagues at a neighborhood diner showed poor judgment.
“I really didn’t want to bring any discredit to the fire/EMS service,” Mankins said Thursday. He said he has seen the negative effects of drunken driving.
Mankins failed several field sobriety tests and was shown to have a 0.125 blood-alcohol level. Ohio law considers drivers drunk at 0.08.
Mankins’ restrictions come as city officials consider cutting Fire Department jobs.
Several firefighters went to the City Council this week, concerned about plans to leave vacant one of two fire-prevention-officer positions.
David Willison, who represents the firefighters union Local 3498, told the council that there have been no follow-up inspections at the city’s 1,686 businesses since July 2007 because of staffing. The backlog and future control of hazardous conditions will be difficult, Willison said.
“There is no way that one person is going to be able to accomplish all that,” he said.
The department’s staffing issues have hurt morale, the fire chief said.
“Any time you start talking cuts, it’s going to create problems,” Highley said.
If city finances worsen, Greeson said, staffing will be monitored closely.
“We’re going to have to have a lot of conversations about how we effectively manage that ... to try to manage the organization in a way so that we stay within our allotted amount.”
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