Can anyone please explain this pay scale to me?

[chadxmerch]

I took the Baltimore County FD test today and I was just looking up what the pay situation was like and I got this: http://resources.baltimorecountymd.g...edules/ps5.pdf

Does anyone understand what this means in regards to the difference of the steps and the maximum compared to the years in.

Pretty much, why does it have a maximum but then continues to go higher with the years?

[fire5555]

Possibly you can max out the step increases, but if you stayed in that pay grade you would not get any pay increases till you hit those years in service


Sometimes you can max out the steps in a short time and that would max out your pay, but this system appears to give you pay increases for being on the job for different periods of time

[skitahoe]

I agree with the post above. It looks like you max out with steps after a few years, but then start receiving longevity pay at a certain point. A lot of departments seem to do this by a percentage. Looks like Baltimore County just lists it as another "step".

[fire5555]

And also possibly if you were close to highest step in one grade and were promoted you would still be able to get more pay and not loose

[FFighterRob]

Some departments will have a max. pay scale, but add a longevity pay to supplement it if a person stays in one pay grade, not promoting. Others will increase the amount of vacation you earn and can bank by the years you have on with a department.

This keeps employees happy in the job and also helps increase their retirement. If you knew you could increase your monthly retirement payments by hanging on another year or two, you would give them the benefit of keeping an experienced person a bit longer in exchange for a little later retirement.