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taken many years. Weidner said that the purpose of the workshop was to get the firefighters <br />involved and that they would have opportunity to give input, but the decisions are to be made <br />by the City Council. After a question about the handbook from a firefighter, Weidner said <br />that the workshop would not result in a final product, but that there would be clarification <br />between the two books and the City Council will be making final decisions. Haas questioned <br />who is covered by tuition reimbursement and multiple firefighters positively reacted to being <br />covered by that policy. <br />Mayor Miron discussed retention, moving past the recap. Miron stated that all of the points <br />discussed impact firefighter retention and that they goal of the City Council is to maintain <br />longevity and maintain morale. <br />HFD New Bonus and Point System <br />Weidner gave background about the new points system and said that it complies with the Fair <br />Labor Standards Act. The issue of the percent of substitution that can be done to still be <br />considered for reimbursement was brought up. Weidner stated that 48 points per calendar <br />year, 24 drills or meetings, etc. meant that the firefighters qualify for pension. Fire Chief <br />Compton clarified that the substitution of points is not fair and that some negative points will <br />be given out, and that this was read out to the firefighters during the last drill. <br />Haas questioned the intent. Compton said that it is to make sure the duty crew is covered <br />instead of having an "all call", which frees up the crew's time for family time. It also <br />improves response time to calls. The point system was developed because it was easier to <br />use per call and is used by other fire departments. Compton read through the new point <br />system and gave additional information as needed. Haas questioned whether the annual <br />review of the point system was similar to the percentage system and reflected the total call <br />volume. Compton said that it matches the call volume every year. <br />There was dialogue among firefighters about teams and the point system and the BLS <br />program. Details were written on the white board about the additional volume of work <br />required. Compton stated that he picks the teams, but the teams pick the hours and later that <br />the job requirements have changed for everyone. After continued discussion among the <br />firefighters, Mayor Miron asked that questions be directed to the City Council. A firefighter <br />asked if [the Fire Department] needed more people. Issues of gathering points were <br />discussed by the firefighters. Compton reminded everyone that it is not a volunteer Fire <br />Department but that the state had changed them to be part-time paid on-call firefighters. <br />Weidner stated that under the law, [the firefighters] are not volunteers but paid. A firefighter <br />questioned why they are then not paid while on call. <br />Mayor Miron stated that the nuances needed to be worked through to maintain the quality <br />people in the Fire Department. He restated that the goal was to be fair and have a system that <br />works well, but that all systems need review. <br />Compton discussed the pay rate. A firefighter expressed frustration in that the pay rate is not <br />the same for everyone because sometimes people get bumped from the call. Another <br />