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Commission Extends Volunteer Fire Department Contracts, Changes Rules
February 22, 2008
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to extend their contract with the county’s volunteer fire departments for another year, along with forgiving overpayments and changing the rules on firefighter certification letter requirements.
The volunteer firefighter association’s contract for the 15 volunteer fire departments in the county expires on September 30. The vote extended that contract until September 30, 2009, at which time a unified county fire department is expected to be in place.
The commission also forgave $24,575 in stipend overpayments to individual firefighters, under the condition that the Escambia Volunteer Firefighters Association provide the county with a “memorandum of understanding” supporting a consolidated fire department “with a unified command”.
The county also changed the way the county requires firefighter certification. Currently a firefighter without formal training but an adequate level of experience can obtain an exemption letter from the State Fire Marshal. That exemption letter is currently the equivalent of Firefighter I certification, but that was changed Thursday night. The amount of the monthly stipend that firefighters are eligible for is based on their certification level.
“Any volunteer holding an exemption letter on the date of the adoption of this policy shall be permitted to collect a stipend at the level of Firefighter I until September, 30, 2008,” the county said. “Any volunteer receiving an exemption letter after the date of adoption of this policy shall only be entitled to receive a stipend at the level of Firefighter Trainee until the volunteer has met the state certification requirements of Firefighter I.”
The Thursday night vote follows a recommendation that the county developed and voted in support of at their Committee of the Whole meeting back on February 12. To read NorthEscambia.com’s report from that meeting, click here. The commissioners made no comment on the issue at their Thursday night meeting.
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