Agreed. I’m pretty sure (don’t quote me) that no public pension is 100% funded. That’s part of what actuarials do, plan for the retirements and keep the fund solvent. Not being 100% funded doesn’t mean it isn’t able to pay its obligations. Anyone looked at Social Scurity lately? Yet, nobody says anything about the non-public folks “draining” the public system. It’s a bit of smoke and mirrors.
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They employ over 3000 paramedics state wide and I fail to see how you get a medic bonus as a firefighter on the B side. That helps my family. We are a department as a entirety. We are diverse because that’s what the needs of areas in the state have changed to and requested. Some contracts hinder some help that’s just the way it goes. There is nothing wrong with wanting more and better changes for people in different areas of the department. We lose a ridiculous amount of people because of schedule and pay. If that’s overlooked or people go “bye that’s not what this department is” that’s not taking care of our own. Regression is being so narrow minded that you can’t see the changes and adapt to them and the wide variety of positions that people work in this department. Like it or not each unit is very different Start as a seasonal, perm up and move up the ladder if you’re a paramedic that means you’re probably working schedule A before you promote and if you take a straight driver spot you take a pay cut. If you can’t see the insanity in that I don’t know what to tell you.
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I agree. I’m honestly shocked by some of the comments from our “brothers” on here. I thought the A vs B thing was dead and we were all one department that was moving together toward a better future. Guess I’m the idiot.
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You are completely missing the point, this has nothing to do with A vs B. The simple fact is that CAL FIRE employees and our families personally subsidized cheap fire protection for the Schedule A contracts.
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That makes us both idiots 
these guys could care less pure insanity
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We are on two completely different pages on this one and you have missed the point.
What does a paramedic bonus have anything to do with CAL FIRE employees and our families subsidizing cheap fire protection for the Schedule A contracts?
I’m glad you get the paramedic bonus and that it helps your family, but like I said in my original comment the rest of us are suffering because of it. IGM I guess, right?
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You’re right IGM because I went to paramedic school. what does a single paramedic do especially a new one when they are hired and placed into a schedule A contract with no say that was in place before they were even a part of the department. That’s what the bargaining team is for they are now going to bat for ALL employees especially dudes working A contracts running 30+ calls a day (day not shift) getting no sleep I’ve seen dudes walk off the job because of the forces because their wives were going to leave them. Substance abuse and mental is just brushed over still.
There needs to be and understanding on the B side that this is a huge issue and even though it may not directly involve you it doesn’t mean it’s not happening to guys in other units. I’m willing to bet there’s quite of few people on this dept that don’t even know we staff transport ambulances.
I’m not saying that the state doesn’t subsidize fire protection for cheap because they do and they always have and everyone is well aware of that. This isn’t an A vs B or about contracts. All this huff and puff are from employees regardless of where they are in the state who were told one thing and shown another that’s laughable at how little they attempted to do for us.
After covid and huge fire seasons call volumes on the rise there was little to no transparency to get this joke of a contract given back to us. People are going to walk people are burned out they are tired of the politics and the fire service as a whole. LG are losing guys too and they have way better contracts than we do. And it’s rough when you’re in an A contract and you run mutual aid with a 10 station dept with a station 5 mins away and their rookie is making twice as much as a top step Capt and going home way more.
Our guys could have swung for the fences but they just stood their and let 3 strikes pass without blinking an eye. Like it or not we have schedule A & B and those employees that are permanent went through the exact same FFA and COA. It’s regressive and it’s going to cause problems down the road when they are not going to have the meat for the seats. They can do better especially when we are hemorrhaging employees
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You guys sound like a bunch of crybabies
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Corey, you seem to be discussing two separate issues. Wages and benefits, an MOU thing, and staffing which is a non MOU thing. I understand better benefits and pay can reduce staffing issues but we are in no way unique in the state having staffing issues. Based on your pic and descriptions I’m assuming you work in RRU. RRU created a giant time bomb with the 2007ish put medics on everything plan. It was a huge mistake. Supply now significantly outpaces demand.
LG is pretty much giving jobs away, you have options.
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cdfff,
RRU was hemorrhaging paramedics before the 2007 upstaffing of them in that unit. They have since I was a seasonal in the mid-90’s. It’s a factor of the pay and benefits vs. workload. Plus, due to the hidden benefit to the state of having Sched A folks to pull from for large fires, they get held on staffing patterns for weeks at a time, above and beyond the horror of 20-30 calls a day, for 72 straight. Is it a wonder they bail for the money and a straight 48?
Many agencies across the state/country are going to single role EMS staff in areas running 3,000-5,000 ambulance calls a year, per unit. How about that idea?
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Suggesting to someone they have options to leave a dept they like is exactly what I’m talking about.
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I understand the paramedic problem, I worked it for a very long time. RRU should have never turned everything als, it was cost prohibitive, unsustainable for the employees, and unnecessary.
Also, from someone that worked in that small pre 2007 group, most still work for us or retired from us.
Corey, if you love this agency, as do I, from someone that has experienced what you are, there are better parts to the agency. My point is if your having a lot of problems, you don’t have to be loyal.
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Let’s keep it civil. Personal insults contribute nothing and do not belong in this forum.
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Having schedule A employees is not a hidden benefit to the state, under CFAA and MMA requesting a Schedule A employee is not any different the requesting an LG employee.
This talking point make no sense and never has. CAL FIRE employees don’t have special superpowers to put out fires. It takes a regional response whether that be Schedule B, Schedule A, LG or Feds.
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The OLD A-B Thing. I’m always grateful I had the opportunity to work Two different Sch A contracts. Mid Valley now Fresno County and BDU before we lost that contract. It made me a way better Sch B Engineer and Captain. The different skills I learned from training and running calls etc. Worked on ALS squad and engine. It was a great experience and a good skill set. Which I used in Sch B on many calls. With what I learned I passed down to my FF. Hell, used some of it running Hand crew. I’m a B person by heart but it definitely made me have a better skill set.
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IA,
I was referring to an earlier statement that the Sched A subsidy to LG was in the state’s interest because it made for a larger available force on large fires. That was all.
H-S
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I want to go back to comment you made earlier on stating that your wages suffered because of the State bending ove rbackwards for a Schedule A contract. Where did you come up with that thought? We all work for the same department whether it is on the A or B side and all of our wages are negotiated by the same people, at the same table in Sacramento. No Schedule A firefighfer makes more than a Schedule B, unless you are a Paramedic, but that is less than a FC-B. I’m also pretty positive there are more Schedule A engines and personnel in this department than there are Schedule B, with RRU alone having 101 stations.
Also, for those bashing the A side…some of you need to remember where you started your career with many being volunteers in RRU. You wouldn’t be where you are now without that training, experience and knowledge gained…all from a Schedule A contract.
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Again, you completely missed the point… the State does not subsidize cheap fire protection, WE the employees and our families subsidize the cheap fire protection.
I’m not sure if you realize this, because you know it’s us schedule B guys that need an understanding of what’s happening in schedule A, but all the same issues you brought up are also happening on the B side.
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I personally think this topic just needs to be closed and done with…its only causing strife among people that are supposed to be brothers but are just disgruntled and oblivious to all that is happening in the department. I guess maybe I’ll just take my 33 years and pack it in.
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Good lord, folks, nobody has a problem with the people sitting in the seats. The problem is with underfunded contracts.
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