Lawrence fire chief says overtime is straining department budget; council presses for staffing and enforcement plans

Fire Chief Patrick Delaney told the City Council committee that the Lawrence Fire Department's year‑to‑date budget is generally on track but that overtime is running far above projections, placing pressure on the department's finances.

Delaney, who identified himself as "Patrick Delaney, fire chief," said the department budgeted about $1 million for overtime. "The overtime would have budgeted for $1 million," he said, and described a run rate that could exhaust the appropriation well before the fiscal year ends. He cited long‑term sickness, academy training schedules and contractual paid time off as recurring drivers that force the department to staff shifts with overtime rather than regular hires.

The chief outlined operational constraints that increase overtime costs. He said the department currently holds a minimum‑manning target of 24 people per shift (including two fire‑alarm operators and an acting deputy): "We have a minimum manning of 24... I believe that we should try to in the future bring that number up to at least 27." Delaney urged the council to consider additional personnel and noted hiring timelines through the Massachusetts Fire Academy mean recruits do not immediately reduce overtime costs.

Councillors pressed for clearer links between hiring and overtime reduction. One member noted the city recently hired a number of recruits and asked why overtime remains high; Delaney explained that recruits often spend months waiting for academy slots and additional weeks in company training, during which the city is contractually obliged to pay overtime for academy attendance. He also described management steps such as training new hires as alarm operators to relieve apparatus staffing.

Councilors raised a series of related operational issues tied to budgetary pressure. Delaney said the department lacks funds for a public‑education program and for routine maintenance of traffic controllers; repairs to damaged traffic‑signal controllers can cost "$5,000" each, he said, and the city recently received a $200,000 block‑grant award to replace nine intersections. He also described the department's practice around unlawful apartments: while fire crews document hazardous conditions and keep an internal log, the building department makes the formal legal determination about whether a unit is an unlawful apartment.

The committee questioned why the false‑alarm ordinance has not been enforced; Delaney said the city has not been collecting false‑alarm penalties for roughly a decade and enforcement would require personnel to issue fines and manage collections. Councillors argued enforcement could reduce repeat false alarms, free crews for genuine emergencies and help lower overtime costs.

Delaney estimated the year‑end deficit tied to the fire budget would be "possibly a little bit under" the high six figures, noting severance and longevity payments as contributors; he said CAFO Ramona Svajos Kafo is working on a severance plan. "Part of it is the severance package," Delaney said, adding that some longevity and academic incentive payouts are not fully budgeted.

The committee did not take a final vote on additional funding at the session but moved the year‑to‑date review on to the full council. The discussion left councillors seeking more quantified links between specific hires and expected overtime reductions, and asking administration staff to detail how one‑time and ongoing revenue sources might be used to reduce the department's staffing shortfall.