When comparing maximum base pay, the salaries of the state benchmark classifications lagged an average of 87.5 percent behind the surveyed fire departments. Table 3, below, shows a dollar value and a corresponding percentage lag for the four benchmark classifications.
- Extended Duty Week Compensation (EDWC or otherwise known as planned overtime)
- Education Pay
- EMT/Paramedic Pay
- Hazmat Pay
- Longevity Pay
- Uniform Allowance
- Bilingual Pay
- Employer contributions to pension and/or deferred compensation plans
- Employer contributions to health, dental, and vision plans
- Value of accrued leave
Table 4, below, compares total compensation for state firefighters and local firefighters.
Summary of Total Compensation
The charts below compare the value of pay and benefits for the state and the survey average for each classification. They compare the monthly costs of compensation for employers, but do not include the employer's costs for unplanned overtime for state or local firefighters, nor include the costs for providing retiree health.
4
Extended Duty Week Compensation (EDWC)
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows employers to set “work periods” for firefighters that exceed the traditional 40-hour workweek. The work period must be at least seven consecutive workdays; it may extend up to a maximum of 28 consecutive workdays. The table below shows the maximum duty hours for each work period after which the employee is entitled to FLSA overtime pay. The same federal regulations also cover local firefighters.
Both state and local firefighters work 24-hour shifts, but state firefighters are scheduled to work more days of the year (156 days compared to 121 days for the local fire departments in the survey). Consequently, state firefighters are working hours of planned overtime because they are working more days than their peers in local government.
On average, state firefighters are currently scheduled to work 82.3 hours of EDWC every month. Out of the 20 local fire departments surveyed for this report, 19 have scheduled EDWC hours which are not included in their base pay. In Table 6, we compare EDWC pay. This report does not include a comparison of pay for unplanned overtime between state and local firefighters.
Employer Contributions to Retirement and Health
For the purposes of this report, we compared employer contributions to retirement for “classic” employees – firefighters hired prior to January 1, 2013, and typically enrolled in the three percent at 50 retirement plan.
5 The following components are included in the firefighter’s retirement benefits: the net employer contribution towards retirement and the employer’s maximum contribution to a deferred compensation retirement savings plan.
6 To find the value of employer contributions to health benefits, we combined the employer contributions to a cafeteria plan (a plan that permits employees to receive certain benefits), as well as health, dental, and vision premiums.
7
Table 7 compares the employer contributions to retirement as well as health benefits for the state and local fire departments.
Although employer retirement contribution rates do not always affect the take-home pay or the ultimate retirement benefit for the employee, they typically reflect a substantial portion of the employer’s cost for employee benefits.
CalPERS Retirement Plans
Seventeen of 20 local fire departments included in this survey participate in a California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) retirement plan. This group includes the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department, and the cities of Bakersfield, Chula Vista, Corona, Escondido, Fullerton, Hayward, Huntington Beach, Milpitas, Ontario, Oxnard, Rialto, Roseville, Santa Monica, Stockton, and Torrance.
On average, the 17 employers participating in CalPERS plans contributed a net between 47.15 and 48.44 percent of the employees’ monthly compensation to retirement. By contrast, the state’s contribution rate used in this report was 50 percent.
8
9
1937 County Employee Retirement Plans
The three remaining fire departments in the survey participate in a local retirement system allowed under provisions of the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937. Under this law, California counties may establish their own retirement systems, which are independently managed and operated separately from CalPERS. The three fire departments in this survey that participate in such a plan are: Los Angeles County (Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association), Novato Fire District (Marin County Employees Retirement Association) and Ventura County (Ventura County Employees Retirement Association).
Of these three, the Novato Fire District contributed the highest percentage of compensation, at 47.1 percent.
Comparing the Value of Accrued Leave
Monthly vacation, sick, and holiday leave accrual rates were collected from each jurisdiction and compared to the leave accrual rates earned by state firefighters. Some local fire departments provide extra pay to employees in lieu of receiving holiday hours, while others provide annual leave instead of vacation and sick leave. The majority of fire departments surveyed, however, provide vacation, sick, and holiday leave. In the case of the Hayward Fire Department, they also provide compensatory time off in lieu of EDWC pay.
To calculate the value of leave, each employer’s formula for calculating the applicable hourly rate of pay was multiplied by the monthly accrued hours of leave.
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Table 8, below, compares the value of leave and the corresponding lead/lag for the state. The state provides more leave hours, on average, for all four benchmark classifications.
Employer Contributions to Retiree Health
Providing retiree health insurance is a valuable benefit offered by the State of California and many local governments.
Although retiree health contributions are not included in the total compensation calculation for this report, it is important to recognize the health benefits employers provide their retirees.
As of 2023, the state contribution towards a retiree enrolled in a family health plan was as much as $2,124 a month. Out of the 20 surveyed jurisdictions, 15 contribute to a health insurance plan for retired employees and/or contribute to a retiree health savings plan. Five jurisdictions do not contribute to either benefit. Table 9 indicates the amount each employer contributes per month for retirees and/or saves for active employees.
In recent years, state employees and the state have begun contributing a percentage of pensionable compensation to “pre-fund” retiree health care. Pre-funding future retiree health benefits is not included in Table 9.
Comparing the 2020 Report with the 2023 Report
The table below compares the state’s total compensation lag in the 2020 report with the 2023 report.
Much of the decline in the state’s total compensation lag was due to a decrease in employer retirement costs for the jurisdictions and an increase in the state’s retirement costs. The average employer contribution rate for the 20 jurisdictions declined from 57.8 percent in 2020 to 47.49 percent in 2023. Meanwhile, the state’s employer contribution rate increased from 48.7 percent in 2020 to 50 percent in 2023.
Conclusion
The total compensation of the state firefighter classifications in this survey is below the average of the 20 fire departments reviewed for this report. The simple base pay comparison lagged by an average of 87.5 percent. However, when factoring in the expense of other pay and benefits, the average total compensation lag dropped to 16.7 percent.
Overall, the state contributed less to employee retirement and health benefits than the jurisdictions surveyed. However, only two employers reported contributing more than the state for retiree health. It’s also important to recognize that state firefighters are scheduled to work more hours than the surveyed local fire departments – 156 days a year for state firefighters, compared to 121 days for the local fire departments.
In 2020, CalHR completed a similar total compensation survey. The unweighted total compensation lag at that time was an average of 23.6 percent for state firefighters. The lag is now an average of 16.7 percent for state firefighters.
Glossary for Attachment A
This glossary defines the variables used to determine total compensation in the tables below.
Minimum Salary: Minimum monthly salary listed for a classification.
Maximum Salary: Maximum monthly salary listed for a classification.
Monthly Hours of EDWC (Planned Overtime): The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows for public agencies and firefighters to agree to a work schedule in excess of 40 hours a week. In most cases, if a firefighter works in excess of 212 hours in a 28-day work period, those hours are compensated as planned overtime, which the state government calls Extended Duty Week Compensation (EDWC). In some cases, this compensation is already included in the base salary or is accounted for in compensatory time off.
Monthly Pay for EDWC (Planned Overtime): Monthly overtime pay is usually calculated by multiplying the hourly rate and the relevant pay differentials by 1.5.
Monthly Cash Benefits: Monthly cash benefits refer to the sum total of the following pay differentials: Education Bonus, EMT/Paramedic Pay, Hazardous Material Pay, Longevity Pay, Uniform Allowance (converted into an average monthly number), and Bilingual Pay.
Net Employer Contribution to Retirement: The Net Contribution to Retirement is the employer’s contribution to retirement after adding the amount that the employer may pay towards the employee’s retirement contribution and subtracting the amount that employees may pay towards the employer’s contribution. For example, CalPERS classic members of the Huntington Beach Firefighters Association paid four percent of their compensation earnable towards the city of Huntington Beach's employer contribution as part of a cost-sharing agreement.
Combined Retirement and Health Benefits: Monthly employer benefits refer to the sum total of the following employer contributions: the Net Employer Contribution to Retirement, the Employer’s Maximum Contribution to the Employee’s Deferred Compensation, the Employer’s Contribution to a Cafeteria Plan (a plan that permits employees to receive certain benefits), and the Employer’s Contribution to Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance Premiums.
Accrued Leave Hours: The sum of monthly vacation hours, monthly sick hours, monthly holiday hours, and FLSA compensatory time off based upon years of service by classification. For state firefighters, the average years of service by classification are: Firefighter II – 8 yrs.; Fire Apparatus Engineer – 9 yrs.; Fire Captain – 18 yrs.; Battalion Chief – 23 yrs. The same years were used to calculate accrual rates for local government firefighters.
Value of Accrued Leave: These hours were multiplied by their applicable hourly rate to find their value.
Monthly Total Compensation: Monthly total compensation refers to the sum total of maximum monthly salary + monthly EDWC (Planned OT) pay + monthly cash benefits + monthly employer paid benefits + value of accrued leave.
Monthly Hours Worked: The average number of hours worked in a month.
Hourly Total Compensation: The total compensation earned per hour. This number was calculated by dividing monthly total compensation by the monthly hours worked.
