DFRS

POLICES & PROCEDURES
Department Of Fire & Rescue Services
Montgomery County, MD

LEAVE PROCEDURE




No. 508
Dec. 1, 1992

PURPOSE
1.0 To establish procedures for personnel to follow when requesting leave, other than sick leave, and establish criteria for granting leave in accordance with the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations.

APPLICABILITY
2.0 All DFRS personnel in the Fire Protection Occupational Series assigned to the Bureau of Operations.
2.1
This policy was developed in cooperation with International Association of Firefighters Local 1664.

DEFINITIONS
3.0 Leave Slots - The number of vacation leave slots for Division 1 is 14 for shift workers and 4 additional day work slots. The number of vacation leave slots for Division 2 is 17 shift workers and 8 additional day work slots. The number of casual leave slots for all workers in Division 1 shall not exceed 13 day and 10 night. The number of casual leave slots for all workers in Division 2 shall not exceed 17 day and 12 night. Annual/compensatory leave slots will not be affected by other types of leave. Annual and compensatory leave is that leave established under the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations.
3.1 Casual Leave Requests - Any annual or compensatory leave request submitted to the Staffing Officer that does not meet "Vacation Leave" criteria will be considered casual leave.
3.2 Administrative Leave - Paid leave which the Chief Administrative Officer or designee may grant in accordance with Section 18 of the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations. This includes approved meetings or conferences, death in the immediate family, military training, civil or criminal court cases and other circumstances as the Chief Administrative Officer determines necessary and in the best interest of the County Government.
3.3 Vacation Leave - Leave chosen for vacation purposes prior to the beginning of the year. The first round of picks will be a maximum of 5 days leave for shift work personnel, 8 days for 12-hour day work personnel and 10 days for 9/10 hour a day day work personnel. The first pick shall be made on a Sunday through Saturday basis. However, the first two weeks in the first pick need not be consecutive. The second through fourth round of picks will be for a maximum of 3 days leave for shift work personnel and 5 days leave for day work personnel. These leave days do not necessarily have to be consecutive.
3.4 Leave Book - A book maintained by the Scheduler which contains information on all types of leave requested, the order and date in which received, and the status of the request.
3.5 Scheduler - An individual or group of individuals assigned to provide a daily roster and schedule details, leave, overtime and other tasks relating to scheduling.

POLICY
4.0 It is the policy of DFRS to provide all personnel with the opportunity to use or cancel leave, through the fair and equitable application of the procedures contained in the policy.
4.1 It is the policy of DFRS to provide sufficient leave spots to eliminate the need for personnel to request that unused leave be carried into the next leave year.
4.2 It is the policy of DFRS that once a leave request is granted, management shall not cause the leave to be cancelled, except by the Director of DFRS or the employee's Bureau Chief for the most compelling reasons.
4.3 It is the policy of DFRS to allow personnel who are transferred to another district or another shift or another Kelly paddle to keep the leave they were granted prior to the transfer when such leave is officially documented.
4.4 It is the policy of DFRS that sufficient specialized personnel will be available for duty (officers, medics, etc.) at any given time. With the approval of the District Chief, the Scheduler may limit the number of such specialized personnel that can be on leave at the same time. Consistent with workload requirements DFRS shall make reasonable efforts to replace specialized personnel prior to denying leave.
4.5 This policy is to be used in conjunction with the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations and County Administrative Procedure 4-25, entitled "Annual and Compensatory Leave Use". (Attachment 8.0)
4.6 The Bureau Chiefs of Fire Prevention, Field Support Services and Management Services shall establish leave approval procedures that are appropriate for their personnel.

RESPONSIBILITY
5.0 All personnel are responsible for:

  1. properly completing the correct leave form (Attachment 8.1) and sending it to the Scheduler when requesting leave; and

  2. notifying the Scheduler not less than twelve (12) hours before the affected shift when requesting to cancel leave.

5.1 Schedulers are responsible for:

  1. granting or denying leave requested, based on the number of approved leave spots in the Division, in accordance with the provisions of this policy;

  2. notifying the employee of the status of the leave requested in a timely manner. Normally, this notification will occur within 48 hours of receipt of the leave request;

  3. maintaining a leave book into which all leave information is entered. This entry includes: name of individual requesting leave, type of leave, date leave is request is received, and whether the leave requested is granted or denied; and

  4. posting a Vacation Leave schedule by December 15 of the previous year.
5.2 The District Chief is responsible for:

  1. assuring compliance with the policy;

  2. establishing a leave procedure for the Senior Career Officers; and

  3. assuring consistency in the implementation of this policy throughout the District.

5.3 The DFRS Duty Chief is responsible for:

  1. assuring fair County-wide application of this policy;

  2. allowing exceptions to this policy for extenuating circumstances;

  3. limiting the number of specialized personnel (officers, medics, etc.) who can be on leave at the same time; and

  4. assuring consistency in implementing this policy throughout the shift.
5.4 The Bureau Chief is responsible for:

  1. cancelling leave as necessary as allowed in section 4.2

  2. establishing leave procedures for District and DFRS Duty Chief's; and

  3. assuring consistency in implementing this policy throughout the Bureau.


PROCEDURE
6.0 Casual Leave

  1. The employee requesting casual leave will request such leave not more than thirty (30) days before the requested date, nor later than 1700 hours of the day preceding the leave day being requested. An employee may contact the Scheduler by telephone to determine leave availability. If leave is available and granted, the Scheduler will complete a leave slip request and forward it to the employee's assigned station. Casual leave may be approved after the beginning of a shift if no additional overtime is [not] required. Prior to approval of said casual leave, the DFRS Duty Chief must be consulted to determine any staffing needs in other districts that could require cross district transfers. If an employee fails to report for duty when scheduled, and does not present a confirming leave slip, the employee shall be deemed absent without leave and appropriately disciplined. The DFRS Duty Chief may waive the above deadlines in extenuating circumstances when this action does not incur any overtime expense at the time of request.

  2. Requests for casual leave will be granted or denied by the Scheduler in accordance with the established number of leave slots available.

  3. Requests for casual leave will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis when leave slots are available.

  4. Casual leave is not considered officially approved until it either appears on the daily roster, or the approved leave slip is returned to the employee.

  5. Changes that occur on the daily roster between distribution and the work day must be relayed to the affected station by the Scheduler. The Scheduler will make the changes on the daily roster in red pen.

6.1 Administrative Leave

  1. The employee requesting administrative leave will complete the appropriate leave form, sign the request, and submit it to the District Chief at least seventy-two hours in advance of the effective date (except for administrative leave for bereavement). Requests for administrative leave must be submitted as soon as it is known that leave is required, particularly military leave and leave for civil or criminal courtcases for which a subpoena has been issued.

  2. Requests for administrative leave will be granted or denied by the District Chief in accordance with Section 18 of the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations.

6.2 Vacation Leave

  1. The Vacation leave schedule will be completed by the Scheduler by November 30 of the preceding year. The schedule will be established on a seniority basis. Seniority is total service time in the Montgomery County Government merit system employed as a full-time career firefighter.

  2. The employee requesting vacation leave will use the appropriate form. (Attachment 8.2)

  3. Shift Work employees with up to three (3) years service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to eight (8) days of vacation leave. Nine/ten (9/10) hour day day work employees with up to three (3) years service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to fifteen (15) days of vacation leave. Twelve (12) hour a day day work employees with up to three (3) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to twelve (12) days of vacation leave.

  4. Shift Work employees having three (3) to fifteen (15) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to eleven (11) days of vacation leave. Nine/ten (9/10) hour a day day work employees having three (3) to fifteen (15) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to twenty (20) days of vacation leave. Twelve (12) hour a day day work employees having three (3) to fifteen (15) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to sixteen (16) days of vacation leave.

  5. Shift work employees with over fifteen (15) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to fourteen (14) days of vacation leave. Nine/ten (9/10) hour a day day work employees with over fifteen (15) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to twenty-six (26) days of vacation leave. Twelve (12) hour a day day work employees with over fifteen (15) years of service will be given the opportunity to schedule up to twenty-one (21) days of vacation leave.

6.3 Parental Leave

  1. Personnel requesting parental leave as provided in the Montgomery County Personnel Regulations must submit the request sixty (60) days in advance of the expected date. The District Chief may wive this for extenuating circumstances.

  2. Personnel on parental leave must indicate which category of leave they intend to use.

CANCELLATION
7.0 DFRS Policy No. 508 entitled "Leave Procedures" issued December 10, 1991, is hereby rescinded.

ATTACHMENTS
8.0 The County Administrative Procedure 4-25 effective 1/15/86 entitled "Annual and Compensatory Leave Use".
8.1 Leave Request Form
8.2 Annual Leave Picks Form