Paramedic Collected $60,000 in Overtime

Los Angeles County firefighter Reynoldo Wilson earned almost $60,000 in overtime last year, bringing his total pay to $98,483.65, more than his boss, the fire chief, made, county officials said Tuesday.

County Auditor-Controller Mark Bloodgood said Wilson, who works as a paramedic, added $59,672.93 worth of overtime to his regular pay of $38,810.72.

Wilson said Tuesday evening that he had to work a lot more overtime than most people would care to. “It was simply to raise my standard of living . . . to get a piece of the American dream,” he said.

He was reached by telephone at Fire Station 110 in Marina del Rey--where he was working overtime.

County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn sought the overtime figures from Bloodgood “after hearing that someone in the department was making $98,000,” said Dan Wolfe, Hahn’s press deputy.

“We understand it’s a case of a guy who volunteered for overtime every chance he could,” Wolfe said. “It’s not a case of anyone doing anything wrong, but maybe the rules have to be reviewed. The guy may be very energetic, very dedicated, but you’ve got to wonder if he can keep operating that long at peak performance.”

The fire chief, John W. Englund, said he’s “been asking the same question . . . .”

“I don’t know exactly how much overtime he worked, but he must have worked (an average of) about 120 hours a week,” the chief said. “But the man’s performance was judged by his supervisor, and there have been no complaints.”

Englund said Wilson probably spent most of that 120 hours a week out answering calls, rather than waiting around a fire station. “We don’t do much of that anymore,” the chief said.

Englund said overtime is requested by supervisors on a voluntary basis, “with the man with the least amount” given the first chance to volunteer. “Obviously, other people turned it down,” he said.

Wilson said that he did, indeed, work 120 hours a week. “I worked five 24-hour periods a week. I would leave my home on Monday and get home Saturday morning. Then I’d be off one day and return to work for five days.”

Like other firefighters, however, not all his duty time was spent working in the field. “Still,” he said, “you are not at home. You are away from loved ones. You have to really want to do it. I broke it down that I worked for 2 firefighters last year, with the benefits for only one.”

There were weeks during 1986 in which he worked seven days in a row, Wilson said, “but now there’s certain rules, so you can only work five.”

Wilson said he is supporting two children, but declined to discuss other details of his family situation. In any event, he said, “last year’s earnings have made my life considerably easier.”

Firefighters work a 56-hour week. Based on the figures provided by Bloodgood, Wilson’s pay would work out to about $13.30 an hour for regular time. Part of Wilson’s overtime was paid at the regular rate and part at time-and-a-half rates, according to Bloodgood.

Englund earned $93,079 last year, making him the fourth-highest-paid member of the department.

Fire Capt. Arnold A. Pribble, who made $40,651 in overtime, was the second-highest paid, earning $94,855. Deputy Fire Chief Earl E. Fordham ranked third, earning a salary of $93,314. As top managers, Englund and Fordham do not receive overtime pay.