All eyes in the community are on Malibu Mayor Rick Mullen this week, following a Los Angeles Times article detailing large amounts of overtime pay among personnel in the LA County Fire Department.
Firefighters are among the most well-paid employees in the county. According to the LA Times, 24 firefighters made more than $200,000 from overtime pay alone last year.
Mullen is one of them—in 2017, he brought home a total of more than $400,000—logging 6,599 hours—as Malibu Fire Captain. Nearly half of that was earned through overtime. For reference, the average salary for fire captains in 2017 ranged from just under $150,000 to about $230,000.
Mullen took the extra shifts to avoid being called to duty during City Council meetings, he told the newspaper.
The extra time at the station, however, does not imply Mullen and other firefighters were constantly on-the-go for more than 126 hours each week. In Malibu, for example, the firefighters may stay at the station overnight and be paid for it; in a smaller town, they may not receive many calls, if any. These 24-hour work shifts are common practice among fire departments nationwide.
“His station isn’t generally disturbed by emergency medical calls late at night, allowing sleep—time for which he and other firefighters get paid,” the LA
Times article explained. Mullen quipped, “My wife certainly tells me that I need to be around more.”
According to the story, the fire department caps overtime shifts, not allowing firefighters to work more than 68 overtime shifts per year, or more than five long shifts in a row—but due to numerous wildfires, those rules may be suspended.
The high amount of overtime pay may also be, in part, due to the major emergencies such as the Thomas and Skirball fires as well as the Montecito mudslides, all of which took place within the last year. Additionally, the LA
Times reported the department has struggled to make new hires in recent years.
“We have seen a massive increase in the number of wildfires in California and our Fire Department has sent first responders throughout the state and across the country to assist with natural disasters,” LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a written statement shared with the LA Times. “This has undoubtedly added to overtime pay.”
Included in the story was speculation from a UC Berkeley expert, Frank Neuhauser, who said, “My guess is they are keeping these vacancies so people can get the overtime.”
The LA County Auditor-Controller is reviewing the fire department’s payroll, but it is not clear when the review will be completed.
In the meantime, though seeing the mayor’s face appear on the cover of the Sunday LA Times has made the story a talking point around town, the issue did not come up at the Monday, Oct. 22 city council meeting, with no one from the public questioning Mullen about his overtime, paychecks or energy level.