LAS VEGAS -- Clark County Fire Department Battalion Chief Renee Dillingham has been fired for allegedly abusing the sick leave system.
Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak is leading the fight to expose the costly scheme by a group of 15 to 20 firefighters.
"It should assure the taxpayer that we take this behavior extremely seriously, and we're going to continue to pursue it," he said.
8 News Now obtained e-mails and calendars that showed fire department employees planned sick days in advance, so co-workers could collect thousands of dollars in overtime, call-back, and retirement pay. The abuse cost taxpayers and resulted in an investigation after it came to light.
"By taking a couple of sick days and a couple of vacation days, you get an entire month off, which is what some individuals unfortunately were doing." Sisolak said.
According to a July 2009 e-mail, Dillingham wrote, "Please do not post the August roster with sick. I have added the other roster for posting, and the sick is for you to take home."
Sisolak is angry Dillingham made $244,852 in pay and benefits in 2008.
Public records show her pay and benefits jumped 41% to $345,927 in 2009. Last year, Dillingham earned a base pay of more than $122,000 and more than $7,400 in sick pay. The county says her overall wages and benefits totaled $274,309.
"Some of the firefighters that did it are making everybody look bad," Sisolak said. "There was a lot of abuse in there. Hopefully, it's been eliminated."
8 News NOW called Renee Dillingham to get her side of the story. A man who answered the phone at her residence would not put her on the line, called our reporting "a hatchet job", threatened to call his attorney, and abruptly hung up.
She is the second firefighter to be terminated. Donald Munn was fired from his position as a Clark County Firefighter. He has been with the department since 1993 and earned $164,859 in 2010.
Criminal investigations continue into sick leave abuse at the Clark County Fire Department, although the FBI will not publicly acknowledge a federal probe.
