State Auditor Finds Over $7-Million in Overtime Pay for LFR Employees from 2025

LINCOLN–(KFOR Sept. 8)–Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley on Tuesday reported that Lincoln Fire and Rescue employees received more than $7.2 million in overtime pay in 2025 and is calling for a performance audit of the department's scheduling practices. Foley sent a letter out Tuesday, indicating data shows the top 100 overtime earners got on average an extra $45,000, with their total average annual pay bumped up to $160,000. 'It's dangerous work. I respect them. I admire them,' Foley told KFOR News about the work that firefighters do to protect and save lives. 'They put their lives on the line for us, but I was not thinking about $160,000 a year would be quite typical for a firefighter in Lincoln, Nebraska.' Foley adds that LFR's top 25 overtime earners received overtime pay averaging just over $72,000 during 2025, bringing their average total salaries to $189,000. But Foley says the scheduling technique LFR uses is prone to heavy overtime. 'The firefighters work on a 21-day rotating schedule and for 13 days are on a day, off a day, on a day, off a day. That goes for 13 days and they get eight days off,' Foley added. According to Foley's letter, the Municipal Code for the City of Lincoln requires the City Council to select at least one subject each year for a performance audit done by the city's Performance Audit Committee. Foley says that committee hasn't met for several years and no performance audits have been done in a decade. Foley said an audit by the City not only would be within the Municipal Code, but also help curb inordinate overtime costs. A statement from LFR Chief Dave Engler late Tuesday morning says, 'Several factors have contributed to increased overtime in recent years, including the opening of new stations, the placement of additional medic units into daily service, employee leave, required training and deployment obligations, as well as contractually negotiated staffing requirements and pay increases. We recognize that consistently high overtime can also signal a need for additional staffing. Since 2019, the City has approved 33 new firefighter and firefighter-paramedic positions, including positions supported by federal SAFER grants. Those additional positions have significantly reduced overtime costs. LFR continues to evaluate staffing and other strategies to reduce overtime where practical and cost-effective.' Engler concluded by saying, 'LFR cooperated fully with the State Auditor's review and provided the financial records and other information requested. We are pleased that, after reviewing that information, the Auditor determined, 'a separate financial audit or attestation to be unnecessary at this time.' We appreciate the Auditor's review and will continue to evaluate our staffing procedures.'