[StBernard] Landrieu Announces FEMA Will Reimburse All Hurricane-Affected Parishes for Firefighter Overtime

[Westley Annis]

Landrieu Announces FEMA Will Reimburse All Hurricane-Affected Parishes for
Firefighter Overtime
Landrieu meeting last month resulted in relief for Jefferson Parish; FEMA
today agreed to do the same for other parishes.

 

WASHINGTON - United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today announced
that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed to repay every
hurricane-affected parish for the overtime pay accumulated during the first
14 days after Hurricane Katrina and Rita. 

"FEMA's decision to reimburse all parishes whose firefighters worked around
the clock in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita does right by the
departments who bravely responded to the catastrophic after-effects of the
storm," Sen. Landrieu said. "I am pleased that FEMA has reacted to our
urging and will justly compensate the parishes for labor and services that
were heavily relied upon following the 2005 hurricanes, and I will continue
working to ensure that reimbursement policies are adequate in the future."

"This end result was because of Sen. Landrieu's unwavering due diligence on
seeking what was fair and what was owed to these folks," said Chad Major,
president of the Professional Firefighters Association of Louisiana. "It's
because of her that it's come to fruition, and the Fire Service of Louisiana
is truly indebted to her.

"The reimbursements will help the parishes seeking to put money back in
their coffers to continue to rebuild their departments. The money has been
caught up in red tape until today, two and a half years later. Sen. Landrieu
is a true friend of public safety."

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, firefighters must be paid for every hour
they are on duty. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Parish
firefighters were working without breaks. Because of FEMA's policy, it only
reimbursed the affected parishes for half of the accrued overtime pay
because the agency assumed that firefighters were sleeping eight hours a
day. As a result, the parishes had to fill the gap with funds that could
otherwise have been applied to other elements of the recovery. 

Last month, FEMA agreed to reimburse Jefferson Parish during a meeting
arranged by Sen. Landrieu, who continued to press the agency to do the same
for the other parishes. FEMA relented today with a clarification memo that
extends the reimbursement to all affected parishes. 

Sen. Landrieu is also working with the agency to develop new reimbursement
guidelines for future catastrophic disasters.

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