Sept. 12--HOPEDALE, MA -- A new three-year contract between the town and call firefighters provides financial incentive to those who respond to emergency calls often, officials say.
Fire Chief Thomas Daige said Monday that under the deal -- which the Board of Selectmen ratified last week -- volunteer firefighters who do not respond to at least 50 percent of calls each month can have their stipend withheld.
"The contract gives me and the town flexibility to withhold or not give out their stipend if they don't show up to enough calls," he said.
The new rules create a greater penalty than under previous conditions, according to Daige, who said firefighters would have to pay a $5 fine for each emergency call they missed without being excused.
Call firefighters are expected to make efforts to respond to emergencies between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and around the clock on the weekends, Daige said.
The department currently has a dozen call firefighters -- who receive a stipend less than $2,000 on average a year -- and two full-time firefighters, he said.
Although attendance has not been a widespread issue, Daige said the department has had a handful of firefighters who don't respond regularly.
"The bottom line is the department functions best when everyone's committed and people respond back when needed, and that's a lot of what this contract will do," Town Administrator Steve Sette said.
Up by 20 percent over last year, the rising number of emergency calls has put the department on track to hit 1,400 this year, according to Daige, who said there is no definitive reason for the upward trend.
Fire officials are also looking for four new firefighters from a pool of 11 applicants to fill positions left vacant in recent months, Daige said.
"We have the candidates, we just have to go through the process to get them on," he said.
Ultimately, Daige thinks the new contract provides more of an incentive for those who put on their firefighter boots and jackets the most.
"Basically what it does is that it shows the members that show up regularly are not equal to the people who do not show up," he said.
The new contract expires in June 2020.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at 508 634-7582 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @c_gavinMDN
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