Few professions have received only one pay raise in the last 17 years.
On-call firefighters in Independence Township will have two wage increases in as many years after only receiving one in nearly two decades.
At the Oct. 18 meeting, the Independence Township Board approved three measures increasing the hourly wage and benefits provided on-call firefighters in the township.
The most recent raise for on-call firefighters occurred in 2000, according to a letter to the township from Sgt. Richard Hardy of the Independence Township Firefighters Association. Township Supervisor Dave Wagner said that pay raise in 2000 ended a 12 year period without a wage increase.
‘It’s about time those guys got something? they’re the hardest working on-call guys in the county,? said Wagner.
Approval by the board grants a $2 increase per hour retroactive to Jan. 1 with an additional $1 per hour raise taking effect Jan. 1, 2007.
The yes vote also increases the disability package in place if an on-call firefighter is injured while working as a firefighter in the township. The new policy pays the disabled firefigther $600 per week for the first 28 days with an increase to $900 for a period of up to five years. The previous policy continued the $600 rate through the five years.
‘They absolutely deserve it. They’re not under contract so there’s nothing that triggers the process and there’s no scheduled increases. This is how they get the increase,? said Independence Fire Chief Steve Ronk.
A final benefit change covers on-call firefighters 24 hours a day in case of accidental death and dismemberment outside the duties for the township.
‘Now they are covered from the moment they leave their house,? said Wagner.
The adjustment to the hourly wage adds roughly $4,000 to the 2005 budget and covers approximately 15 firefighters assigned to three stations in the township.
‘It (the money) was accounted for in the 2005 budget because this process has been ongoing for six or seven months. It’s not a suprise. It was a formality more than anything,? said Ronk.
On-call firefighters help provide a power boost to the full-time firefighting staff in case of a major fire or several incidents in a short span of time, said Ronk. He noted the on-call staff to be around 15 members, 10 short of where what he would like the number to be.
‘We pull them in to supplement our staff?80 percent of the time our full-time staff handles things,? added Ronk, who pointed out the township cannot afford to have a large full-time staff sitting around waiting for the major incidents where more firefighters are needed.
On-call firefighters differ from volunteer firefighters because they receive payment for responding to emergency calls. They are members of the community with other careers, but are trained to the same level as a professional firefighter and have participation standards.