Career Department- Transfers

I have a question regarding the process of transfers from one fire station to another. It appears that my fire department’s senior staff utilizes transfers as some type of disciplinary measure. I happen to value the idea of keeping a firefighter at a station for a length of time so he/she can learn the area, learn the apparatus, learn to work with a team and, maintain the ‘family like “atmosphere.

I would like to know how your department decides on transferring firefighter when a recruit school is released, and the criteria of moving folks from one station to another. I fully understand that room has to be made for the new folks, but out of 19 new members, there were plenty of people wanting to move, retirements, promotions etc. We moved 75 firefighters firefighters to accommodate 19 new recruits. I don't buy it!!! Thanks.

Some departments bid station assignments, some don't.

Unless you have specific language in your contract regulating how transfers are made it's "management rights." IOW, they can ship as many or as few firefighters as they wish to any station they choose.

our dept has a form its called a p-10.you summit it and if a opening comes up at the station you want and you have your p-10 in first,the chief will usally honer it.or if someone gets in it to bad at a station they will move someone to put the fire out.

The language for our transfer policy is contained in our contract.

We bid every four years, in all grades, based on time in your grade. Any rig (excluding special ops), any shift is open for you to select, depending on whether or not it is open.

Every company has one firefighter slot that is not eligible for picking. These spots can be moved by the battalion chief or higher for any reason that they see fit, which includes cub placement.

There is wording in the contract that allows other spots that were pick eligible, to be moved for discipline, or 'the good of the department'. If that is going to be used to move an individual, the union will be a part of the decision.

once a vacancy occurs be it from a retirement, transfer, etc a memo will come out from hq stating there is a vacancy and anyone can bid that spot, the bidding is open for 2 weeks at that point the most senior man gets the spot, once you win a bid you cant bid anywhere else for 2 years and once you win that bid it's yours until you leave wether by retirement or bidding to another spot, etc..also if the bidding closes and nobody bid the spot it becomes a city spot which they can do whatever they want with leave it for overtime, detail some1 into it, or put a new guy in it..there is also wording similar to jasper's such as for disciplinary action or for the good of the department but that doesnt happen regulary or easily

Ours is in our contract. Any spot that becomes vacant due to retirement or promotion is eligible for bid. All the bidding takes place in September, and the transfers from the bid process take effect during the first pay period in January.

So all the spots that come open between Septembers are bid in the first round. Then all of the spots open from the first round of bidding are filled in the second round. After that management puts bouncers in wherever they would like.

If management chooses not to honor a bid, never happened, they have to notify the union president in writing with their reasoning.

Our contract has language that requires all positions be filled on the basis of seniority. Management attempted to use transfers for discipline in the past, requiring the Union to get contract language to stop them.

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Originally Posted by vbladder

We moved 75 firefighters firefighters to accommodate 19 new recruits. I don't buy it!!! Thanks.

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Do you mean to suggest that upper management would think to violate our core values? :eek:

"Our values center around: Caring, Integrity, Trust and Honesty." ;)

I know two of those transfers were because they wanted to move. Unfort I loose a good buddy at 14:(