by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Public Safety Chair Senator Adolpho Palacios has scheduled a roundtable discussion with the Guam Fire Department for March 3. Up for discussion firefighters compensation. You may recall during Acting Fire Chief John Salas' confirmation hearing it was revealed six uniformed firefighters were assigned administrative duties and were still receiving the same compensation as firefighters who are stationed out in the field and work 24-hour shifts.

Senator Palacios cited public law, which prohibits those firefighters assigned administrative duties from getting the pay such as overtime and extra hours. When asked what authorization the Acting Chief Salas had to pay those six firefighters the extra money, Salas couldn't answer but instead asked for the roundtable to talk about it. Invited to the discussion are the Public Auditor, Attorney General, Department of Labor, and the DOA's Human Resource Administrator and Payroll Administrator.

The roundtable is March 3 at 2pm in the Legislature's Public Hearing Room.