Difference between revisions of "Sick & Personal Leave"

Revision as of 14:36, 3 May 2016

Section 1 - ADMINISTRATIVE

110.15 Sick and Personal Leave

PURPOSE:

The accrual of personal leave hours and sick leave hours are in accordance with the City of Maitland Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.

PROCEDURE:

Sick Leave

• Sick Leave is a benefit and should be treated as such.
• When you find yourself ill to the extent that you cannot report to duty, you should call your Battalion Chief as soon as possible, before the start of your scheduled shift. If you are unable to contact your Battalion Chief on the first attempt, then contact the on-duty Battalion Chief. The preferred practice is to call between 6:15 and 6:30 am. If on the night before your scheduled shift you know that you will not be present for duty, it is appropriate to call at that time.
• When the on-duty Battalion Chief is the contact, then he/she is responsible for contacting the assigned Battalion Chief of the person calling in sick. The assigned Battalion Chief of the person calling in sick should be told the nature of the illness/injury, expected duration, and a phone number where the person calling in sick can be reached. This is necessary for shift planning purposes.
• The initial contact person, whether the on-duty Battalion Chief or the member’s assigned Battalion Chief, must review the information and comply with the reporting elements contained in City of Maitland Personnel Policies and Procedures 8.12 Family and Medical Leave Act.
• If you are too ill to report to duty, remain home except to seek medical attention or medication.
• The on-duty shift supervisor may direct on-duty ill members to leave duty and return home.
• The Fire Chief and/or other city officials reserve the right to require verification of the illness by an appropriate medical professional and also reserve the right to require a release signed by a medical doctor, before returning to work.
• Incidents where sick leave is taken fraudulently or excessively may result in disciplinary action.
• Excessive use shall be defined as the use of more occurrences than the department average for any given evaluation period. The term occurrence is as defined in the city’s personnel policies.
• The Battalion Chief will take into consideration the potential for vacancy created by sick call, FMLA, etc. prior to approving more than one person off at a time. Mandatory OT will be avoided at all costs. Personal leave shall not be approved more than 60 days prior to the start of requested leave unless otherwise approved by the Deputy Fire Chief or Fire Chief. No more than five (5) shifts in a 10 shift period will be granted off, inclusive of time trades.

As it relates to staffing, a position that will require OT to cover by default (i.e. Paramedic, LT with no built in coverage due to minimum staffing) no subsequent requests for leave time shall be approved. Special circumstances may be approved by Fire Administration.

Personal Leave

• Each Battalion Chief shall be responsible for scheduling leave for the members on his/her shift in a fair and equitable manner. Members shall complete a request for absence via email to their assigned Battalion Chief. In extraordinary circumstances, especially those contained in the City of Maitland Personnel Policies and Procedures 8.12 Family and Medical Leave Act, the Battalion Chief may grant leave to more than two (2) members with approval of the Deputy Fire Chief or Fire Chief.
• The Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief or their appointed designee shall be responsible for the scheduling of personal leave for Battalion Chiefs.
• Anyone who takes time off without sufficient accumulated personal leave shall not be paid for those hours. Prior approval is required. A negative balance shall not be permitted.

Disciplinary action may result.

• Except in cases covered by the City of Maitland Personnel Policies and Procedures 8.12 Family and Medical Leave Act, each member is responsible for insuring he/she possesses adequate sick or personal leave time prior to absence from work.
• Except in cases, covered by the City of Maitland Personnel Policies and Procedures 8.12 Family and Medical Leave Act, Battalion Chiefs shall not schedule shift members off on personal leave if they do not possess adequate time.
• Two (2) shift members may be permitted to be on personal leave when the leave does not create overtime. If one person creates overtime due to staffing circumstances (i.e. only Paramedic on shift), then no other vacation will be approved.

This was amended to allow a second person off with the understanding that it will not always be possible and at times there may be lengthy periods of time that certain shifts will not enjoy this benefit. All members employed as of July 1, 2010 agree and understand the limitations and unanimously voted to continue the practice even if the benefit will be limited.

• The Fire Chief is responsible for scheduling all others within the Department.