Troy able to fill its firefighter jobs
Deal with union helps city navigate shortage of potential staffers.
As communities of all sizes struggle to fill fire department positions, Troy has hired seven new firefighters thanks in part to an agreement this spring with the department’s union.
As of April 15, the fire department had six vacancies following retirements and resignations of employees heading to other jobs.
A memorandum of understanding with the International Association of Firefighters Local 1638 authorized by the Troy City
Council this spring helped the city fill its needs.
The MOU allowed creation of a basic firefighter position made up of a firefighter/ emergency medical technician designation. It also cleared the way for the city to create an EMT salary and hire up to six at any time as long as they are enrolled in a paramedic program, said Patrick Titterington, the city’s service and safety director. When the paramedic certification is obtained, the employee would be promoted to paramedic immediately.
The EMTs are hired at 90% of the paramedic rate. Those savings were used to add another firefighter/paramedic position, accounting for the seventh new employee hired recently.
The MOU also allows the service and safety director to hire experienced paramedics if they apply from other departments and pay them more than the first step on the pay scale. The salary schedule has five steps and hiring up to the fourth step would be allowed, if the applicant has the required experience.
Fire Chief Matthew Simmons said finding new employees has been increasingly difficult and the shortage of paramedics is nothing new. The impact, however is being felt more locally.
“The last three years has really been exponentially getting worse,” he said.
Where the department would once have a list of 50 or more applicants for firefighter /paramedic jobs, that number has dwindled to around eight.
“We have been trying for a while to broaden the pool,” Simmons said.
Of the new employees welcomed at a late May swearing in at one of the city’s three fire stations, five held firefighter/EMT designations and were enrolled or enrolling in paramedic programs. Two others were firefighter/ paramedics, coming to Troy from other departments.
Another recruitment tool was introduced last year with an apprentice program, in partnership with Edison State Community College, designed to give participants exposure to firefighting operations while they pursue education at their expense. That program’s goals include recruiting locally for those interested in the career and pursuing it for years in their own backyard. Two new apprentices also were welcomed in late May.
The city continues to monitor its budget closely due to the financial losses anticipated from COVID-19.
The city previously announced cutbacks and deferrals in spending, but did not include safety forces in that plan, Titterington said. Six of the new hires were to positions already in the budget while the seventh is “cost neutral due to the fact that we are hiring several EMTs at a lower salary than originally budgeted,” he said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol. com.