Depending on who is asked, the amount of overtime pay at the Sedona Fire District is either the nature of the beast and a necessity of the job, or overly excessive.

David Zirinsky, a retired certified public accountant, analyzed overtime pay for Sedona firefighters in 2007 and 2008 and was surprised with what he discovered.

According to Zirinsky’s study, a few Sedona firefighters in 2008 had more than 30 percent overtime added to their salaries, and the numbers reached as high as 42 percent for one employee in 2007.

He informed the SFD Governing Board these numbers indicated an independent professional labor study needed to be done immediately.

Zirinsky has addressed the board about the overtime pay numerous times the past year.

Fire Chief Nazih Hazime, who was not employed with the Sedona Fire District in either 2007 or 2008, said the firefighting profession is different than the corporate world where most of their work may involve paperwork.

“We save lives. That’s what we do,” he said.

He said the majority of the public would rather have the fire district fully staffed, even if it meant overtime pay was required.

“It’s a service that people pay for,” he said. “Do you want the best or are you willing to settle for less?”

With that said, Hazime said the fire district is looking into the needs and wants of the district to see what could be done away with. He said what he will not compromise on is providing safety for residents.

He said he knows the board would like to know where these extra overtime hours are spent.

“I take my direction from the Governing Board,” he said. “They certainly have an interest in overtime.” There are practices to review to determine if changes are needed.

“I think the challenge is how to monitor the skill levels we have right now,” he said.

The chief said he does not think members of the board have the whole picture yet on where funds are spent and added he needs to address this with them.

“They want to understand how we spend our money. They want to be educated on how to handle our budget,” he said.

When a major incident occurs, Hazime said overtime is a necessity. Firefighters, depending on where they reside, will be called in to help out.

Zirinsky, however, thinks the amount of overtime pay is significant and mentioned the average overtime for the entire district is 15 percent.

He said most businesses would not allow their employees to receive this kind of extra pay.

“You need some of it, but it got out of control,” he said. “It’s a factor. It’s very excessive.”

Zirinsky would like firefighters to get approval from Hazime for overtime before it’s granted.

The overtime pay is one of the issues the fire district will address at its Wednesday, Dec. 9, workshop.