CITY COUNCIL Fire chief aims to set 31 as entry age limit

Older firefighters take more time off because of injury or illness, the chief says.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Fire Chief John J. O'Neill Jr. wants city council to consider setting 31 as the maximum age at which firefighters can join the department, but council wants to study the matter further.
By reducing the average age of firefighters, the chief said the city may achieve substantial savings in time off because of injury and workers' compensation claims.
Of 27 disability retirements from the department between 1995 and this year, 17 were for personnel in their mid-to-late 50s or older, the chief reported to Council's safety committee Tuesday.
Employees in their mid-40s or older have much higher rates of time off because of injury or illness than younger employees, he said. The minimum retirement age for firefighters is 48 with 25 years of service.
"The motive is to, hopefully, reduce the average age of the firefighters so that they're reaching retirement at a younger age," the chief said of his proposal.
O'Neill wasn't sure when the age limit of 31 ceased to be enforced in Youngstown, but he noted that, in the mid-1980s, disability accounted for a very low proportion of retirements of firefighters hired when that entry age limit was in effect in the 1950s and 60s.
However, during the last several years, half or more of all firefighter retirements have been because of disability, and, last year, all three firefighter retirements were because of disability, he reported.
"This just seems like a legal Pandora's box is going to open up on you, with people hollering 'age discrimination,'" said Councilman Clarence Boles, D-6th.
Other cities' limits
However, setting an age limit for entering firefighters is permissible under Ohio law, and was recently upheld in a court case involving the city of Barberton, O'Neill told the committee. Akron sets a maximum entry age of 31, and Canton, Dayton and Toledo set 35, he noted.
Councilman Mark Memmer, D-7th, said he'd favor 34 as the entry age limit. "Thirty-one would be too young for me. Thirty-six would be too old," he said. Memmer also said he wants to hear more on the matter from city Law Director John McNally, who did not attend the meeting.
Councilman Richard Atkinson, R-3rd, said it's been his experience that attendance on the job is better among older workers than younger workers and asked O'Neill to provide absenteeism figures by age of employees.
O'Neill said he hadn't complied those statistics for Tuesday's meeting but could prepare such a report for council.