Department Recall Procedures

Introduction

• Instructions and guidelines on Department recall procedures are provided
• This applies to all uniformed Department personnel
• The Chief Deputy of the Emergency Operations Bureaus is responsible for the content, revision, and periodic review

Definitions

• NORMAL STAFFING PROCEDURES: Routine and emergency staffing procedures are followed for filling various positions and equipment staffing
• URGENT NEED STAFFING PROCEDURES: Staffing occurs when Normal Staffing Procedures cannot meet critical, time-sensitive, or special needs
• During this staffing, elements of the Normal Staffing Procedures can be overridden to meet urgent needs
• RECALL: An order to report for duty on an unscheduled workday when a person isn't available or to report/stay more than 4 hours before/after their shift
• Personnel may not receive more than one recall in a 24-hour shift

Responsibility

• All members must immediately report for duty assignment when recalled
• Forty-hour personnel are to report their regular work schedule to their assigned cardfile site
• The Fire Chief, Chief Deputy, Deputy Chief, or Duty Chief can initiate large-scale staffing orders for major emergencies

Policy

• Off-duty personnel are subject to recall by the Fire Chief, Chief Deputy, Deputy Chief, or Duty Chief to meet Department staffing needs
• Recall can be used for normal, augmented, and emergency staffing needs and to staff additional resources

Exemptions from Recall

• Personnel will not be recalled for back-to-back shifts unless no alternate personnel on the shift are available, except at the Camps
• Exemptions include being already scheduled to work, annual vacation, sick leave, industrial injury/suspension, bereavement leave and jurisdictional battalion chief

Furthermore

• Firefighters in the didactic, clinical, or internship phase of paramedic training are exempt from recall
• Also exempt, those working an approved time exchange of 12+ hours for 56-hour personnel or 8+ hours for Fire Suppression Camp and 40-hour personnel
• Personnel cannot be on duty for more than five consecutive full/half 24-hour shifts without a 24-hour break, though those with fewer shifts may be recalled, except at the Camps
• During major emergencies, the Fire Chief, Chief Deputy, or Duty Chief can authorize more than five consecutive full/half 24-hour shifts of voluntary/recall work

Additional Recall Exemptions

• Regularly scheduled days off before the first annual "V" and after the last annual "V" are usually exempt, unless the person makes themselves available for overtime
• Personnel recalled for Christmas Eve will exclude personnel regularly scheduled/recalled for Christmas Day, and vice versa, unless no other personnel can be contacted
• Those voluntarily signing up for overtime/time exchanges on Christmas Eve/Day can still be recalled on the other day if not normally scheduled
• 40-hour personnel whose regularly assigned work day is on a holiday can be recalled to work that holiday

Recall Considerations

• Forty-hour personnel, Incident Management Team (IMT), and Incident Command System (ICS) overhead positions may all be subject to recall
• 40-hour personnel assigned to a battalion cardfile site are subject to recall by that site, while those not assigned are not subject to recall by any battalion cardfile site
• Personnel with IMT assignments receive one recall when their team is activated and assigned to an incident
• They shall notify their cardfile site of any recall for IMT assignment by Command and Control or their Section Head to record the recall on Form 341
• Personnel available for an ICS Overhead Position "Out of County" will not be recalled when assigned to that incident

Procedures

• Cardfile sites implement recall of personnel assigned to their cardfile
• Personnel with the 68-shift overtime cap are still eligible for recall under normal/urgent need staffing procedures

Recall Priorities

• 56-hour personnel not normally on duty the day after recall are recalled in order of their names in the recall cardfile (fewest to most recalls)
• Personnel can be recalled back-to-back before moving to the next off-duty shift
• When first-priority personnel resources are exhausted, off-duty shift personnel are recalled in order of their names in the cardfile (fewest to most recalls)
• Personnel can be recalled back-to-back before moving to the cooperating battalion
• The Camps Section shall recall personnel without considering whether they are scheduled to be on duty the day after recall
• If a battalion cardfile cannot recall a qualified person, personnel from its cooperating battalion are subject to recall

More on Recall Procedures

• If an originating cardfile still cannot fill the recall, they can recall someone who has worked five shifts in a row, and then six and so on

After Recall

• The date of notification, assigned position, and date of assignment must be entered on the Recall Record Card and Fire Office, and the card moved accordingly
• A record of all recalled personnel should be in the Business Journal, with time of notification, name/rank, recall assignment/date, and info on the Battalion overtime roster
• Recall Cards of relieved personnel are returned to their recall cardfile position
• Personnel credited with one recall for early/late relief exceeding four hours

Release from Recall

• Personnel recalled can be released by providing a qualified person to work their position, but they retain responsibility for the position being filled
• This is providing this does not delay the reporting to duty of recalled personnel

More on Release from Recall

• If this accommodation is made, neither member will be credited with a recall
• Personnel who provide a qualified person to work the recalled position will not be recalled again for the 24-hour shift
• Personnel recalled for Christmas Eve/Day providing a qualified person will not be recalled again for Christmas Eve/Day

Further release conditions

• When the recall procedure is utilized, personnel made available after recalls may release recalled personnel if desired
• The last person recalled is released first if that individual wishes, and the person will not receive credit for the recall if released