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MEDFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The City of Medford is launching a review into the use of sick leave by its fire department, the City announced Wednesday.
Officials said the majority of scheduled Medford firefighters called out sick for part of their 24-hour shift during the first weekend of February. Specifically, 21 out of 23 firefighters called out sick on Saturday, Feb. 3 alone.
According to the City, this triggered costs of over $92,000, more than $58,000 of which was overtime.
Officials said a Medford firefighter works eight 24-hour shifts a month on average. Each shift is broken down into a 10-hour day tour (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) followed by a 14-hour night tour (6 p.m. to 8 a.m.).
Between Friday, Feb. 2 and Tuesday, Feb. 6, most of the firefighters who called out sick for the day tour portion of their shift reported for duty at 6 p.m. to work their night tour, the City said.
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"I believe that these excessive sick leave call outs over the weekend of February 2nd were an orchestrated event and my office will do everything in its power to continue to review it and make sure it does not happen again," Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. "The excess sick leave usage and resulting overtime costs has a cascading effect throughout the City’s operating budget, and results in the diversion of funds away from critical investments in our schools, roads, and other social services."
"I appreciate the Mayor and her team keeping the entire City Council informed about this situation when it occurred," said City Council President Isaac B. "Zac" Bears. "Ensuring responsible use and fair allocation of public funds will continue to be the top focus of the City Council during discussions with the Mayor and city staff about the Fiscal Year 2025 City Budget."
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