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County Set To Approve Longevity Pay For Volunteer Firefighters
October 9, 2009
Escambia County volunteer firefighters will likely receive a retention bonus, despite longevity pay having been cut for county employees.
Fire Chief Frank Edwards asked the Escambia County Commission at a Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday morning for the longevity pay that would provide $200 to $1,200 bonuses on five-year anniversary dates. Commissioners gave a unanimous nod to the plan; the commission’s final vote on the proposal will be next Thursday.
“We need to approve this because it’s part of the retention element of trying to keep our volunteers,” District 5 Commissioner Kevin White said.
Commissioner Grover Robinson said the longevity pay for volunteers is much more affordable than hiring paid firefighters in the county.
“While we are trying to get rid of longevity pay, this is a little different with volunteers who are not getting paid, Robinson said. The county recently cut longevity pay for the county’s paid employees.
If the commission gives final approval to the pay plan next week, volunteers firefighters that meet the county’s requirements will receive $200 after five years, $400 after 10 years, $600 after 15 years, $900 after 20 years, and $1,200 after 25 years.
In order to qualify for the retention incentive, volunteer firefighters must complete 96 hours of fire services training per calendar year and participate in 25 percent of their department’s total calls for the year, including credits for duty crews and special details. The payments will be made annual in the first quarter of the county’s fiscal year.
Volunteers, while classified as unpaid by the county, do receive a monthly stipend for their services if they attend training meetings and respond to a specified percentage of their department’s calls.
A Firefighter Trainee receives $100 per month, if he or she has completed a 12 hour orientation course and obtains Firefighter I within one year of joining Escambia Fire-Rescue.
A certified Firefighter I or II receives $300 per month. A certified lieutenant receives $350 per month, and a captain receives $400 per month. An assistant district chief’s stipend is $450 per month, and a district chief receives $550.
Comments
11 Responses to “County Set To Approve Longevity Pay For Volunteer Firefighters”
Listen, volunteers save the county money no doubt. I do not disagree with that. But lets say a fire station has 20 members maybe, just maybe, 10 are certified to fight fire. and out of those 10 maybe just maybe 3 rountinely run calls. Also, lests do this. Lets say your house is on fire in a volunteer district and there is no body at the fire house. Your house is buring while a firefighter gets in his car, starts his car, sppeeds off to the firehouse, gets his gear donw from the rack, puts it on, oh and now has to wait for more fireman to show up to drive and do other jobs. It can be 10 minutes before anyone is in route let alone at the house fire.
Now lets look at that same fire with paid fireman. The bell rings, all 3 or 4 fireman head to the truck get dressed and get in route all with in 2 minutes. and save your house.
volunteering is not what it used to be.
As a paid firefighter I would like to thank the volunteers for their time and efforts. Stay safe guys
I am a paid firefighter with the City of Pensacola, I have 23 years with them. I was a volunteer before that. I would like to say that I am proud of my brother firefighters paid and volunteer. I live in Molino and have watched these brave men an women on many occasions, they are top notch and I am glad that they will be recieving a little more to offset their costs. Stay safe and keep up the good work.
THE TAX MONEY THAT YOU ALL ARE YELLING ABOUT IS FOR THE FIRE DEPT. YOU PAY A FIRE TAX TO SUPORT THE FIRE DEPT. WHEN IT FRIST STARTED IT WAS FOR THE COUNTY’S ALL VOLUNTEER DEPT. IT NOW PAYS FOR BOTH PAID AND VOLUNTEERS. IT NOT TO PAY FOR NEW TIRES ON DUMPTRUCKS OR ON SCHOOL BUSES. THERE ARE TAXES FOR THOSE YOU PAY FOR. IF MONEY WAS MOVED FORM SCHOOL SYSTEM TO BUY A FIRETRUCK YOU WOULD CRY OUT LOUD ABOUT THAT. TO THOSE WHO THINK PAID MEANS BETTER TRAINED YOU ARE WRONG !!!! ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST MET THE SAME STANDARDS AS THE PAID!!!! SO VOL. HAVE MORE!!!!!! I WOULD RATHER HAVE A VOL. FIREFIGTHER WITH 5+ YEARS BACKING UP MY HUSBAND THAN A PAID FF WITH 2YEARS ON THE JOB !!!!! MYHUSBAND HAS BEEN A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER FOR 28 YEARS WITH THE COUNTY!!!!!!!!!!!! AND HE PLANS TO BEE HERE FOR MANY MORE!!! I AM SORRY IF I HURT ANYONES FEELINGS BUT THATS THE WAY I FEEL ABOUT IT.
Just a comment to all who feel that there is too much friction between volunteers and paid firefighters because of education. I am a wife who has been on both sides. My husband both volunteered for several years and then went to school and earned his certification and degrees and is now a paid firefighter. I can testify – unless you have gone through the additional schooling and continue to be trained and educated – you might think your extra years on the job is equivalent. I am here to tell you, you are wrong. Volunteer education in the fire fighting field does not hold a candle to the amount of education for a career firefighter to get his degree and maintain it.
Just a thought – a skilled educated brain surgeon makes more money and is in charge in the operating room and knows way more about the brain compared to a surgical assistant (who has had some training, but not enough to make me want to chose them for doing brain surgery if I or a loved one ever needs it !!!!!!!!)
I think it is great that the volunteers are getting a bonus but I will have to agree with Oversight are great county commissioners have said there was no money for raises for the county workers in fact they are taking away benifits so how come now all of a sudden they have money to give .
I served 8 years in the Fire Service as a volunteer, never once complaining of not getting compensated. For just a couple of years before I ended that volunteer career, we were given a $100 stipend each month IF we had ran 25% of the calls and had completed other training requirements. Just to let you ALL know, even back then when gas was much less than it is now, $100 was not enough to cover what we (volunteers) spent while serving our communities. The volunteers now have it even harder. They WANT to pour their heart and soul into serving but can’t afford to and keep their full time ‘paying’ jobs at the same time.
I agree with ‘Pensacola resident.’ A slap in the face would be better than this for our volunteers.
A better plan would be to HIRE the volunteers that are already serving in their fire departments instead of hiring outside of the department. THAT would definately increase morale. I remember having to work alongside some of those ‘paid’ firefighters. Their thinking was that since they got PAID and you were just a volunteer that they were more educated and could boss the volunteers around. It didn’t matter if they had 1 year of experience to the volunteer’s 5+ years, they still treated us like crap and probably still do. If all the volunteers walked away because of all of this, there is NO WAY the county could pay for ‘outside’ firefighters to come in and work full time 24/7. They need to appreciate the men and women who LOVE to serve.
I know of SEVERAL men and women (myself and husband included) who said that they missed the old days……the old days of ALL VOLUNTEER, ALL THE TIME, NONE OF THE COUNTY’S NOSE IN THEIR BUSINESS AND MESSING UP THEIR MOJO………I’ll go back when they go back!
ROCK ON VOLUNTEERS…..ROCK ON!!!!!
Lets see. Once again Kevin, “Part of our retention policy of trying to keep our volunteers” ? What do you mean? Are you actually saying that you have to pay volunteers? Oh, I see Escambia County Florida’s definition of volunteering requires payment? I don’t suppose anyone of the members of the commission want to consider the money being spent in any amount is still tax money?
I wish someone would finally become mature in the matter of having part time employees be just that; “part time employees”. Volunteers should not fall into that category. I truly believe you are causing problems by continuing this philosophy. The decision to mandate payment to volunteers in the form of stipend and longivity pay dilutes and reduces the enthusiasm for those who truly want to volunteer. Pay the people who dedicate their lives as professionals in the area of the fire service and allow people to be volunteers too. If the folks who are called volunteers which includes the District Chiefs, Assistant District Chiefs, Lieutenants and Firefighters are truly dedicated to fire prevention, then being labeled “Part Time” should not bother them, since now all of the equipment and facilities is paid for by the county tax payer. We did not get the opportunity to volunteer our hard earned money to pay these taxes. We are told if we do not pay, then action such as liens and other legal steps are taken against us, if we do not comply. So, quit being so free with my tax money.
How would you like it if you were told, in order to be the district 5 commissioner, the salary would no longer be paid at the rate originally announced? Volunteer Firefighters who work at the stations labeled “Volunteer Stations” can be paid as “Part timers or Auxillary” at the same rates currently being paid to volunteer classifications. All of those meeting the requirements set forth by the law to be certified should be classified as “Part Time or Auxillary”. That equipment and fire prevention infrastructure is paid for by our (my) taxes and as such should be treated that way. Anyone working in the facilities throughout the county should be aware of that fact.
The Commission needs to strongly consider what they are about to vote on next Thursday. The decision made not to extend these pay incentives to county employees should not have been made so broadly. Unlike other county departments, some consideration should have been given to the fire service’s status, especially since it uses volunteers in its’ everyday operations. As usual, it appears those making that decision did not allow for that problem until now. Hence, the “knee jerk” reaction is what is commonly implemented most of the time by those seeking a quick solution. Don’t spend this money in this manner, because it is another patch rather than a good solution.
I agree with the commissioners. It doesn’t take a mental olympian to figure out the difference. The volunteers are unpaid. In times of tight money, I’d rather keep the people around who are volunteering to risk their lives putting the fire out at my house, or rescuing me from a bad wreck… I mean, if the (paid) pothole pavement packer dude quits because his bonus is cut, so what. There are plenty of people looking for jobs who’ll be glad to have it. Worse case scenario, I’ll deal with the potholes. It’s not so easy to find someone to put in hundreds of hours on the FD for free……
If they didn’t receive at least a little bit of money to cover their gas and expenses, many would not be able to afford being on the fire department right now. They also lose money by having to take off work/leave the jobsite for fire calls. Add on top of that all the studying and time for classes and fire meetings, and some for sure couldn’t afford all the time that training takes… Maybe instead of calling it a bonus, they should call it a ‘Training Compensation’.
Like PR mentioned, $200 is peanuts. And they have complete 96 hours of training every year to be eligible? That’s only 2 bucks an hour, if you count JUST THE TRAINING, aside from the hundreds of hours they put in on calls, maintenance, fire meetings, fish fry, etc….
Good job, commissioners…
(And btw, I am not a firefighter…. just appreciate what they do)
Oversight is whining just like a county employee. Pure greed.
A $200 bonus for being on call 24/7 for 5 years works out to about 10 cents per day. Volunteers are more than worth that! It’s almost a slap in the face to give them so little.
I thought there’d be no raises for county employees this year and the budget was just approved in the last week or so. This is a slap in the face to other county workers who were told that there’s no money for raises, but then you go out and find money for this. By the way what is the total cost of this increase? Show us the money. Don’t get me wrong, volunteers deserve an increase to maintain the folks, but so do the other county empolyees.