Part-time firefighters at the Jerome Township Division of Fire will go from the some of the lowest paid in the region to among the highest.
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously during its most recent meeting to increase pay for part-time firefighters with a basic EMT certification to $18 an hour and $18.67 for paramedics.
Jerome Township Fire Chief Douglas Stewart said the department has struggled to compete with nearby stations.
Prior to the vote Tuesday, JTFD paid $12 per hour for part-time EMTs and $12.50 for paramedics.
Stewart noted that mowers and plow drivers for the Roads Division are each paid $16 per hour, with no certification needed.
According to a pay rate comparison shared with the board by Stewart, the Jerome Township Division of Fire paid the least of nine nearby departments, including Allen Township, Concord Township, Leesburg Township, City of Marysville, Northern Union County Fire and EMS District, Northwestern Fire Department, Pleasant Valley Fire District, Washington Township and Worthington.
Of those, the closest to JTFD was the Northern Union County Fire and EMS District, which was still several dollars higher, at rates of $13.76 per hour for EMTs and $16.06 for paramedics.
The Marysville Fire Department rate for part-time firefighters is the highest, at $17 per hour for EMTs and $20 for paramedics.
“Right now, the market for getting part-time firefighters is tough,” Stewart told the board.
He added that the department currently has only one part-time firefighter, who previously worked in a full-time position but requested to decrease his hours.
It has been several years since the department had a full staff of part-time firefighters, Stewart explained.
When JTFD received the SAFER grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2019, which helped fund the salaries and benefits of nine firefighters, a number of part-time employees were promoted to full-time positions, Stewart said.
He said the fire department did not backfill the part-time positions largely because “we didn’t have space.”
Now, as a second station, Station 211, is under construction, the chief said he wants to be prepared for future staff expansion.
Beyond that, he said part-time firefighters will help to cover shifts when full-time employees are on sick leave or vacation.
Fiscal Officer Robert Caldwell said he was comfortable with the proposed increase in pay.
“Part-time is much cheaper than paying overtime,” he said.
Stewart also noted that Community Safety Lt. David Wilson, who has served full-time with Jerome Township since 1994, is approaching his retirement date.
The fire chief said he feels the community safety position is integral to the future of the department. He asked the trustees to review a job description so it can be posted as soon as possible.
Trustee Chair Megan Sloat said the trustees will review the description and plan to take action at the board’s next meeting, July 5.
In other business:
– Stewart told the board that possible delays in steel shipments could affect the construction of Station 211, but there should be “minimal delays overall.” He added that foundational work, like laying the electrical for the building, is underway.
– The board hosted a public hearing, which Trustee Wezlynn Davis noted is required by statute, surrounding the Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) between the City of Marysville and Jerome Township.
No members of the public spoke at the hearing.
However, Davis said she feels the JEDD will promote economic development, generate funding for infrastructure and build the relationship between Marysville and Jerome Township.
The framework for the JEDD was approved in 2019 and will allow the two governments to collect income taxes from employees of businesses within a designated district, to be used to expand infrastructure.
Four revisions to the contract were proposed during a joint meeting in April.
The most significant of those would be a change to the breakdown of how income taxes generated by the JEDD are allocated, though both the township and city will continue to receive equal percentages.
Sloat also voiced support for the JEDD contract.
“This is a wonderful step forward for the township,” she said.