LINCOLN— Nebraska Auditor Mike Foley is calling for a performance review of Lincoln Fire and Rescue after the department paid $7.2 million in overtime in 2025. The department’s top 25 overtime earners averaged more than $72,000 in additional pay, bringing their average total compensation to nearly $190,000. One firefighter received more than $164,000 in overtime alone. Foley said the amount warrants a closer examination of the department’s scheduling practices, particularly because some overtime is built into the negotiated work schedule.

Lincoln Fire Chief David Engler said overtime is necessary to maintain 24-hour emergency coverage and has been affected by new stations, additional medic units, training, employee leave and staffing requirements. Foley also criticized the city’s Performance Audit Committee for failing to conduct required audits for more than a decade and not meeting in roughly five years, though city officials have recently begun reactivating it. Engler said Lincoln has added 33 firefighter and firefighter-paramedic positions since 2019 and continues to evaluate staffing strategies to reduce overtime while maintaining emergency services.

Click HERE for the full article