Cut O.C. firemen’s pay to free more funds for equipment and new firemen

John Seiler ^ | Oct 28 2007 | John Seiler

[freedomdefender]

Here’s a simple way to find more money to hire more firemen and buy more fire-fighting equipment in Orange County: Cut O.C. firemen’s extravagant pay and benefits from $175,000 a year on average to $150,000. (Some even made as much as $268,000 a year.)

At $150,000, they still would be making double the average family income for a resident in Orange County.

Cutting their pay $25,000 would be a reduction of 1/7th. That would mean their forces could be augmented by that amount — or a little less, if some of the saved money is used for buying new equipment. That would be a substantial increase in any government department, especially one as critical as this one.

Alternatively, why not privatize the fire department?

[Species8472]

With all due respect, I would like to see a source for your salary numbers. Here are the top ten fire department pay scales in the United States according to the 2004 Firehouse magazine salery survey:

http://www.firehouse.com/magazine/surveys/04_pay.pdf

Firehouse Magazine 2004 Run and Salary Survey

 

                                                Start Pay               Top Pay

Firefighters:

1. Oakland, CA                    68,615                   79,899

2. Richmond, CA                 68,133                   89,973

3. Davis, CA                         62,651                   NA

4. San Antonio, TX             55,150                   72,635

5. Glendale, CA                    54,444                   71,100

6. Lakewood, CO                52,837                   59,177

7. Seattle, WA                      48,588                   60,732

8. LA County, CA               48,437                   67,060

9. San Francisco, CA          48,360                   67,730

10. Olympia, WA                 47,553                   59,440

 

Paramedics:

1. Oakland, CA                    72,615                   87,879

2. Richmond, CA                 NA                          NA

3. Davis, CA                         62,651                   NA

4. San Antonio, TX             75,791                   78,854

5. Glendale, CA                    58,800                   76,788

6. Lakewood, CO                57,362                   63,702

7. Seattle, WA                      69,840                   NA

8. LA County, CA               56,992                   78,913

9. San Francisco, CA          56,888                   69,160

10. Olympia, WA                 53,496                   65,383

[Species8472]

Are firefighters required to go to college?

A two year Fire Science Degree and an IFSAC Firefighter certification is a prerequisite for most professional Fire Departments in the State of California.

[Species8472]

One of the unique aspects of the fire service is that a community has the ability to determine the level of service desired in the local community. If you hire a lot of firefighters and buy them good equipment along with an adequate water supply, (high taxes) you get a lower ISO fire protection rating (Low fire insurance rates).

Staff with volunteers and minimal equipment (low taxes) you get a higher ISO rating along with high fire insurance rate.

There are no federal mandates in this respect. It is one of the few areas left where a local community still has control.

[nr_emt18]

When you are having that heart attack, or you are trapped in your car, a collapsed building, or a burning warehouse, who do you want to come rescue you? The lowest paid, least trained person? Or will you want the educated, experienced, motivated professional with 15 to 20 years of experience?

You will get what you pay for. If you think our job pays so well, and is so easy, why aren’t you doing it? Look at other jobs with similar experience, education, and working hours, and you will see that firefighting is right in line with them.

[Species8472]

why aren’t you doing it?

I Have.

35 years in the fire service including time as a wildland firefighter, a full 20+year career in a big city department and 10 years as Chief of the department here in my hometown.

Believe me, I know the frustration of working for low pay as well as a public that doesn't seem to appreciate your work.

I also know the frustration of trying to provide the best service possible within the bound of what a community is willing to give up in the way of taxes. As a conservative, it is quite a tightrope to walk in your desire to keep taxes low while providing the service that your employers (the community) expects. The entire basis of the ISO rating system is to give the community the ability to decide (vote) how much fire service they want to pay for. Its called democracy.

Unfortunately, there will always be people (like a few of the posters on this thread) that want "The lowest paid, least trained person" and want it for free. They are also the ones that bitch the most when it takes a little longer to arrive on a call or their house burns due to a lack of personnel, adequate equipment or water supply.

Actually, in my experience the best department consists of a mix of the older, experienced members and the newbys that are full of book learning and keep the "more experienced" members honest. There is nothing worse that a bunch of burned out, unmotivated fossils on the same shift.

I see by your screen name that you are an EMT. From that alone you must be aware that the real rewards of our profession don't come in the form of a paycheck, but in the relief of pain and suffering, the comfort of victims families and the preservation of life and property.

I have found that the most successful people in the fire (and EMS) service are the ones that realize early in their career that this job is not about us, but in service to our community.