Menlo Park fire district offices close on Fridays Menlo Park fire district offices close on Fridays (May 18, 2005)

By Renee Batti

Almanac News Editor

The doors of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District headquarters and Fire Prevention Bureau are now closed on Fridays -- a scheduling shift that fire officials say should boost efficiency and productivity.

Full-time staff members working out of the district's Middlefield Road headquarters and in the Fire Prevention Bureau have been working 10-hour days Monday through Thursday since the first week of May.

Although the staff's workday begins at 7 a.m., the offices don't open to the public until 8 a.m., said district Deputy Chief Randy Shurson. Office hours end at 5 p.m.

The district expects to see a savings of about 4 percent of its annual budget for administrative services and the Fire Prevention Bureau with the new schedule, said Leanna Edens, the district's business manager. That amounts to about a $50,000 savings per year, she said.

In addition to the cost-savings benefit, having all district staff at work on the same days will increase efficiency, Deputy Chief Shurson said, adding, "It makes us a cohesive team."

Under the old system, he said, some administrators and support staff worked Mondays through Thursdays, and others Tuesdays through Fridays, and that schedule limited the amount of time some co-workers could team up on tasks and projects.

Fire protection services to the public will not be affected by the change.

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