Boston firefighters make rash of sick calls on New Year's Day

Whether nursing hangovers from New Year's Eve excess, shrinking from a bitterly cold day, or legitimately under the weather, firefighters started off 2009 with a rash of sick calls.

That left the Boston Fire Department scrambling to fill shifts, sometimes at costly overtime rates. About 1 in 8 shifts had to be covered because of absences, said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the department.

Many of the 67 missed shifts were scheduled to be filled by firefighters working 24-hour shifts, said MacDonald, who estimated that about 35 firefighters were out sick.

"We were able, for the most part, to fill the shifts with on-duty personnel," he said.

MacDonald said he did not know whether the number of sick calls was unusual and declined to comment on whether department leaders were angry over the no-shows. The sick calls occurred as the firefighters' union is locked in a lengthy and protracted contract battle with city and department officials.

Employees not scheduled to work Thursday jumped at the chance to earn overtime wages, he said, and all stations were fully staffed. He said he could not estimate how much overtime the absences cost.

Firefighters are not allowed to take vacations in January, he added. This month is a busy time for the department.

Last January, the Globe reported that 102 firefighters claimed career-ending injuries while they were filling in for superiors at higher pay grades.