The Westbrook City Council has approved a second vote of a city emergency leave policy that has been criticized by some employees as being too restrictive.

On Monday night, the council voted (CHECK VOTE TOTAL) to approve the policy at a special meeting.

Some police officers and firefighters have criticized the policy, arguing that it makes it almost impossible for them to participate in disaster relief efforts.

The new policy, which was distributed to employees earlier this month, allows for an up-to-30-day unpaid emergency leave of absence for employees to assist in emergency situations.

In order to qualify for the leave under the new policy, an employee must first use up any earned vacation, holiday or sick leave before the unpaid emergency leave is granted. The employee would not be considered a city employee while on the leave and would not be covered by the city’s workers compensation insurance, although the employee would still continue to be covered by the city’s regular health insurance.

The new policy came about in part due to a request from two Westbrook firefighters who wanted to respond to a call from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 1,000 two-person firefighter teams to volunteer to help the victims of the hurricane in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Upon learning of the request, Firefighters James Rogers and Kathy Reynolds submitted their applications to Fire Chief Gary Littlefield. Because the city did not have a written policy covering this request, Littlefield did not immediately submit the applications to the federal agency and instead brought the request to the city administration to come up with a policy.

In the time it took the city to formulate the policy, all of the spots in the FEMA program were filled, leaving no room for the two Westbrook firefighters in the program.

Reynolds, who is engaged to Rogers, is the same firefighter with whom the Maine Human Rights Commission sided in her sexual discrimination complaints. She said she felt the city dragged its feet when it came to hers and Rogers’ application. “They waited until the slots were all filled and then they came out with the policy,” she said.

In other news, the council unanimously (CONFIRM VOTE) approved a resolution condemning the Maine Turnpike Authority’s decision to close the Stroudwater Street bridge for nine months during reconstruction.

The resolution, which was presented to the Authority’s board of directors at a meeting yesterday (Sept. 27) asks the Authority to keep the bridge open during the construction.

The Westbrook City Council has approved a second vote of a city emergency leave policy that has been criticized by some employees as being too restrictive.

On Monday night, the council voted (CHECK VOTE TOTAL) to approve the policy at a special meeting.

Some police officers and firefighters have criticized the policy, arguing that it makes it almost impossible for them to participate in disaster relief efforts.

The new policy, which was distributed to employees earlier this month, allows for an up-to-30-day unpaid emergency leave of absence for employees to assist in emergency situations.

In order to qualify for the leave under the new policy, an employee must first use up any earned vacation, holiday or sick leave before the unpaid emergency leave is granted. The employee would not be considered a city employee while on the leave and would not be covered by the city’s workers compensation insurance, although the employee would still continue to be covered by the city’s regular health insurance.

The new policy came about in part due to a request from two Westbrook firefighters who wanted to respond to a call from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 1,000 two-person firefighter teams to volunteer to help the victims of the hurricane in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Upon learning of the request, Firefighters James Rogers and Kathy Reynolds submitted their applications to Fire Chief Gary Littlefield. Because the city did not have a written policy covering this request, Littlefield did not immediately submit the applications to the federal agency and instead brought the request to the city administration to come up with a policy.

In the time it took the city to formulate the policy, all of the spots in the FEMA program were filled, leaving no room for the two Westbrook firefighters in the program.

Reynolds, who is engaged to Rogers, is the same firefighter with whom the Maine Human Rights Commission sided in her sexual discrimination complaints. She said she felt the city dragged its feet when it came to hers and Rogers’ application. “They waited until the slots were all filled and then they came out with the policy,” she said.

In other news, the council unanimously (CONFIRM VOTE) approved a resolution condemning the Maine Turnpike Authority’s decision to close the Stroudwater Street bridge for nine months during reconstruction.

The resolution, which was presented to the Authority’s board of directors at a meeting yesterday (Sept. 27) asks the Authority to keep the bridge open during the construction.