WI 000% its NEW ORLEANS FIRE ASSOCIATION IAFF LOCAL 632 2401 WESTBEND PAswav, SUITE 3001 s? New ORLEANS, LA 70114 BEE-3564 ?f?gg Aaron l'vtischler FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB 10, 2020 President l'vtobile: NEW ORLEANS FIRE FIGHTERS CAN NO LONGER WORK VOLUNTARY OVERTIME After vears of dangerous staffing shortages, broken promises, and unconstitutional promotions, New Orleans Fire Fighters will no longer work excessive overtime to cover for a city administration and department that can't attract or retain emplovees. This means that some ?re stations in the city coufd? soon shut down at times. The NOFO's call volume has increased almost 150 percent during the last decade but staf?ng levels have dropped 25 percent during the same time. lv'lanv fire ?ghters regularlv clock 95-hour work weeks. This has created a situation where ?re fighters are stressed and strained far bevond what is safe for them and citizens. Since 2012, the NOFO has onlv been able to hire 94 ?re fighters -- and 25 percent of them have resigned in their ?rst three vears on thejob. Meanwhile, another 143 veteran ?re fighters retired or resigned resulting in the lowest staffing numbers in the department's 120-vear historv. New Orleans Fire Fighters have long expressed our concerns to Citv Hall about public and ?re ?ghter safetv. It has fallen on deaf ears. We hoped the Cantrell administration would bring about positive change. Unfortunatelv, we are still fighting the same battles. The city refuses to address pav, retirement bene?ts, and promotional process all while the department continues to fail to attract new ?re ?ghters and cannot retain the few that they are able to hire. New Orleans Fire Fighters are among the lowest paid in the region, retirement bene?ts are the worst for fire ?ghters in the state and promotions are handed out at the discretion of political appointees without transparencv or explanation. Young fire ?ghters have no wav to plan or prepare a career path and see no future withthe NOFO. The NOFO now serves as a training ground for everv other department in the region and, in some cases, around the countrv. Fire fighters will continue to show up to work as scheduled everv dav but, until the city agrees to address the issues that plague our once great organization, we can no longer worl?: unscheduled hours bevond our regular shifts. About the Newr Orleans Fire Fighters Association: The NOFFA, organized in 1939, is a Labor Union affiliated with the International Association of Fire Fighters as Local 632. It has the Collective Bargaining Rights for NOFO's Fire Fighters, Fire Operators, Fire Captains and Fire Investigators and represents over 500 active members of the NOFO-