WEST BURLINGTON, IA—Starting next month, volunteer firefighters will see a bump in the stipend they receive for responding to fire and other emergency calls.
The 2.5% increase was approved Wednesday by the West Burlington City Council.
The raise is the same as what nonunion city employees received in their new contracts for Fiscal Year 2020.
After the increase, firefighters will receive between $100 and $250 each month, on average, depending on how many calls they respond to. The deputy chief, battalion chiefs, and captains have a top rate between $275 and $325 each month.
Chief Shaun Ryan said the pay is the city's way of showing appreciation for firefighters. West Burlington has had a volunteer fire department since its inception.
While neighboring Burlington has 40 firefighters and paramedics on its fire department's payroll, West Burlington has one full-time staff member, Ryan, and 21 volunteers.
Volunteer firefighters have no set hours, and have an option to respond to calls or not. Ryan said that sometimes several firefighters can help, but other times only one or two may respond. Burlington's fire department is called automatically for mutual aid for West Burlington emergencies, so regardless of whether volunteers are able to make it into the station, someone will always be there to help.
Ryan pointed out that not having a schedule can be a strain on the volunteers.
"In Burlington, if a fire breaks out on Christmas and you're off, you don't have to leave. If you're a volunteer firefighter, you might have to leave your family," Ryan said.
Another key difference is that unlike a paid fire department, which can require firefighters to come in on their day off, West Burlington cannot force firefighters to volunteer. He said that there has only been one occasion he recalls when volunteers were told they had to come in if not busy. That was when the Tama Complex caught fire last August in downtown Burlington.
All volunteers are asked to attend a meeting twice a month, and they are paid $25 for attending. The meetings also are when the volunteers do their training, and Ryan discusses any messages the city council has for the fire department.
Firefighters also are encouraged to help out around the station. They can earn up to $75 per month for helping, attending extra training or helping at different events.
From there, volunteers can earn more money by responding to the calls. The more calls a volunteer responds to, the more they get paid. To receive any money from calls, volunteers must attend more than 10% of the calls each month. Ryan said there are a few firefighters who do not receive any money from the city.
"They don't do it for the money," Ryan said.
The West Burlington Fire Department averages 600 calls per year. There were 47 calls in January. Ryan said about 65% of those calls are for medical assistance and there are about 250 calls for fires each year.
Ryan said the city is always looking for new volunteers.
Also Wednesday, the council approved purchasing a new set of turnout gear for the fire department. Ryan said normally he would wait until budget time to order the gear, but the department has a new firefighter it has been unable to equip.
Ryan said firefighters cannot wear the wrong size gear because there are parts of the suit that must fit properly in order to work correctly. The new gear is expected to cost about $1,000 and is accounted for in the city's Fiscal Year 2019 budget.
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