How much money does a battalion chief make

It pays — often quite handsomely — to be a Seattle Fire Department deputy chief or battalion chief. Of the 20 highest-paid city employees, 14 were fire chiefs.

Overtime received by the 34 chiefs, who are unionized, has raised particular concerns among city officials. They collected so much extra pay because their contract called for seven of them to be on duty at any time last year. Vacations, sick-leave, disabilities and other staffing gaps meant that chiefs were often brought in on overtime to fill required shifts. The highest paid city employee last year was Deputy Fire Chief Michael E.

City Councilmember Tim Burgess said the council will continue to review issues, including overtime and management structure. Each battalion chief is responsible for a geographic area of the city. They supervise officers and stations, as well as manage training and personnel issues. Most important, they lead the response to a fire. It could be a major hazardous material spill or a building collapse.

If firefighters are out sick or on vacation, the department brings in someone on overtime. Police and City Light are more driven by special needs and events.

Electrical line workers will work more overtime in response to a storm; police because of increased patrols in certain parts of the city. Overtime for most firefighters and police officers those who started working after October counts toward their annual retirement pension.

Pensions for firefighters and police officers are based on years of service and their average monthly income in their five highest years of pay. A City Council analysis earlier this year of police overtime crunched numbers and reached that conclusion.

firefighter-salary-guide

As for high wages in the Fire Department, Hepburn said: The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only, and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. By signing up you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Hawaii Opinion Editorials Letters Op-Eds Kate Riley Mark Higgins Brier Dudley Jonathan Martin Thanh Tan Blanca Torres Columnists Nicole Brodeur FYI Guy Mary Ann Gwinn Ron Judd Jerry Large Seattle Sketcher Jon Talton Danny Westneat Jobs Autos Homes Listings Classifieds Paid Obituaries NWshowcase Sponsored Posts ShopNW Seattle Times Store Contact FAQs Subscriber Services Print Replica iOS App Android App.

Local News Log In Subscribe. Local News Fire chiefs pull in highest wages in Seattle. Originally published May 14, at Back to story Restart gallery.

Has "The Silencing" Begun? The Marine Corps Experimenting by Suppressing an Entire Battalion - The Firearm BlogThe Firearm Blog

Celebrating graduation — and heritage. Explore the wonders of the sea at low tide. Columbia City, I hear you loud and clear Nicole Brodeur Unlimited Digital Access.

deadspin-quote-carrot-aligned-w-bgr-2

No personal attacks or insults, no hate speech, no profanity. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate this thread by reporting any abuse.

See our Commenting FAQ. Powered by Livefyre The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only, and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Get our Morning Brief delivered to your inbox. Custom-curated news highlights, delivered weekday mornings. Thanks for signing up! Your Morning Brief will arrive every weekday morning. Back to the story.

Please consider upgrading your browser to receive our intended user experience.