Howard County (Map, News) - Public safety training and staffing shortages mean big overtime costs for the Howard County’s fire department.

“You have positions that have to be filled, and things that have to be done,” Fire Chief Joe Herr said.

The department spent the most ion the county in overtime in 2006, paying out $2.6 million, plus an additional $45,939 in bonuses, according to county payroll records obtained by The Examiner.

The department budgeted $3.1 million for fiscal year 2007, said county spokesman Kevin Enright. That fiscal year ends at the end of June. For fiscal year 2008, the budget includes $3.7 million, he said.

Herr said the number wasn’t surprising.

“We do a lot of training, and we maintain a lot of certifications. We try to have an overtime budget that will allow those things to occur.”

One vacant fire department position requires 4.5 people, since it must be staffed around the clock, he said. And if one person is out on sick leave or vacation, the roles have to be filled, he said.

Battalion Chief Francis Rommal earned the most in overtime pay — $45,200, which brought his take-home pay to $137,205 in 2006, the records show.

Rommal is trained in all technical rescue disciplines, Herr said, and is also a member of the regional urban search and rescue team. He is often away at specialized training, and much of the costs are reimbursed through homeland security grants, he said.

“Plus, he works a lot,” Herr said. “If it comes down to needing someone to work Friday night, and no one else wants to do it, [Rommal] will do it.”

The department recently put a new tower truck and ambulance in service and added a person to the western part of the county, which affects overtime pay, fire department spokesman Bill Mould said.

A few years ago, the department overshot the overtime budget, Herr said, thanks to several vacancies. Although that can make the department look irresponsible, “in reality, a lot of things are out of our control.”

The police department came in second with $2.2 million in overtime; the department spent $104,310 in bonuses. The highest overtime earner, Officer Michael Mui, made $35,043, the records show.

Five of the top 10 overtime earners in the department were either dispatchers or senior dispatchers, and all made at least $20,000 in overtime.

Dispatcher Maya Kella worked 967.5 hours of overtime — the most of any police department employee — and earned $25,064.

The county executive’s 2008 budget funds three additional dispatcher positions.

The highest-paid sworn officer, aside from former Chief G. Wayne Livesay — his total earnings pushed $160,000 — was Cpl. Donald Wyant. Wyant even edged out current Chief William McMahon, who made $122,961 in 2006 as interim chief of police.

Wyant worked 364 overtime hours and earned about $20,000. His total earnings last year were $140,314.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com

jpalazzolo@baltimoreexaminer.com