Fire department could see salary increases

An increase in base salaries and pay rates for the Fire Department is making its round for passage with City Council.

An increase in base salaries and pay rates for the Amherst Fire Department is making its round for passage with Amherst City Council.

Mayor Mark Costilow said during a Nov. 16 City Council Finance Committee meeting that an agreement between the city and a team that represents Amherst’s firefighters was overhauled, since responsibilities for the fire department have increased due to the pandemic.

“They (the firefighters) don’t have a union, but we treat them as if they are, and we negotiate and go through these terms,” Costilow said.

The city increased the fire chief’s salary last year, and has now followed suit with the base salary in the fire department, he said.

“We’re a part-time, oncall fire department, so they have a base salary and then they have an hourly rate once they come into work,” Costilow said.

Including the base salary increases, firefighters will see a 2.5 percent raise in years two and three of the salary deal.

The pay rate also will increase to $24.68 an hour, with the fire inspector, EMTs and first responders with a rate slightly lower.

“It’s a lot harder to get people to come in to do basic work making less money, so we change that to one rate,” Costilow said.

Firefighter clothing allowances will increase from $350 to $400, and the onetime cost for a Class A uniform will increase from a $700 to a $1,000 allowance, he said.

Given the nature of work at the fire department, the mayor said it can be difficult to staff nontraditional hours, like late nights and Sundays.

Now, between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. any day and any Sunday, double time will be paid for the first hour of work, with regular pay to follow for the rest of a shift of two hours or more.

The changes in salaries and pay rates equate to about $60,000, with most of that being made up by changes in retirement rates, Costilow said.

The ordinance for the salaries and benefits of the fire department will see further consideration from council.