MADERA COUNTY — The Board of Supervisors will be considering a resolution to establish a new salary structure for Paid Call Firefighters (PCFs) at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Currently, PCFs, or Volunteer Firefighters, are only paid the minimum wage of $10.50/hour and are only compensated when responding to fires and motor vehicle accidents. They are not paid for medical calls, which account for about two-thirds of responses.
The resolution to be considered would set the new rate at $15/hour base pay for PCFs, and $18/hour for Paid Call Driver Operators, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
There would also be additional pay of $1/hour for any or all of the following certifications:
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Hazardous Materials Technician (HAZMAT)
- Rescue Systems
The new resolution will set a maximum of $18/hour for PCFs, and $21/hour for Paid Call Driver Operators.
This resolution is not part of Measure L — the proposed Public Safety Tax scheduled for a special election on Mar. 7 — and if passed, would go into effect regardless of the outcome of the election.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Eric Fleming, the Board will take up the issue of paying PCFs for 100 percent of the calls to which they respond, including medical aids, at a future meeting, likely in early February.
