Fire departments shifting recruiting as part-timers dry up
KETTERING — Kettering is the latest local community to seek more full-time firefighters, which will cost the city more but are necessary because of an industry-wide decrease in available part-timers.
The city is targeting six new fulltime firefighter positions and converting one existing position to flex captain. The estimated staffing budgetary increase is more than $800,000. The entry salary is $65,686, with potential to advance to $86,278.
It already added 13 new full-time firefighter positions in 2017 in an effort to reduce overtime costs. Its department, as in Washington Twp., will have to pay more for the full-timers, but the lack of available part-timers has already boosted the overtime costs they want to avoid.
“Right now, we are seeing an upswing in our full-time staffing model because it is very difficult to attract and retain parttime firefighters,” said Kettering City Manager Mark Schwieterman. “Frankly, the market is for full-time firefighters now. So, it is very hard to get a parttime firefighter because they are filling full-time positions at other organizations.”
Stacy Schweikhart, Kettering’s community information manager, said recruitment is still underway and the city pursued an aggressive campaign on social media.
Finding those full-timers can be challenging because of concerns about pay and the hazards of the position, said Doug Stern,
director of communications and public relations for the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters.
“When I came on more than 20 years ago, we all knew we could get burned or fall and hurt ourselves,” he said. “Now, we are finding out about heart disease, cancer and every illness that is job-related. It doesn’t make it as attractive of a job, and cities are cutting back on their payroll, so they are not paying as well. There are increased certifications you must go through to get the job.”
Departments often focus their recruiting on “instilling the idea that public service is a noble profession and part of it is taking better care of first responders as employees,” he said.
The Washington Twp. Fire Department plans to hire 12 new full-time firefighters to help fill a staffing gap caused by a shortage of part-time firefighters.
“Staffing extensively with part-time firefighters has benefited fire departments and taxpayers for many years, but the benefit is running out,” said Washington Twp. Fire Chief Bill Gaul. “With part-time firefighters being harder to find, we anticipate we’ll need to hire even more fulltime firefighters to maintain staffing.”
“Despite an aggressive recruitment campaign with financial incentives to attract and retain part-time staff, the positions have gone unfilled, forcing the department to hire more full-time firefighters at a higher cost, which will ultimately require additional revenue in coming years.”
The department has been able to fill only a little more than eight slots with parttime staff, Gaul said.
“This has been a constantly shifting target. It’s been a challenge because, like many departments, our budget has been built around the availability of part-time staff,” Gaul said.