01-11-2021 Council Work Session Packet

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DRAFT Comprehensive Fire Service Study MEDINA, MINNESOTA Matrix Consulting Group Page 65 assistance that is automatically dispatched as a part of the original incident. The use of automatic aid provides several advantages as the closest station will be dispatched, avoids the duplication of resources, and provides the appropriate amount of pers onnel for the type of call. These type of arrangements are typically handled between two departments rather than as a county wide agreement. One of the potential issues with automatic aid is that one department becomes the primary respondent in the neighbo ring jurisdiction and an inequity in providing services versus receiving them exists. A new municipal fire department will need to establish the agreements necessary with neighboring departments for mutual or automatic aid as needed. Long Lake, Loretto, and Maple Plain would certainly play a role in these agreements. Plymouth would also be a potential partner for mutual aid. 4 Human Resources The City would need to develop job descriptions and qualifications for every position in the fire department. The process to hire and promote will also need to be developed and implemented prior to converting the existing Hamel Fire Department into a City department. Even though the fire department is being staffed with volunteer members, there may be a need for a pay scale to be implemented to include stipends. Within the current City organization, the human resources function is handled by the Assistant City Administrator who also has other duties including city elections, data practices, IT/communications and is the City Clerk. To handle the needs of the fire department, including the hiring and promotion processes, payroll administration and other human resource needs of the department, the City would likely need a part-time human resources assistant. Additional considerations that will impact the City of Medina include the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For the ACA, once the City has 50 employees the ACA requires the employer to begin tracking hours and conducting look back periods. Once an employee reaches an average of 30 or more hours per week, the City will need to provide health insurance. While the volunteer firefighters may not meet the 30-hour requirement, the ACA does require the City to track and evaluate the hours on a regular basis adding additional responsibilities to the human resources function. The additional employees would also trigger the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the City of Medina would be required to offer this additional benefit. For FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), employees are eligible to take FMLA if the following criteria is met: