Raises for firefighters up for vote at special town meeting

Date: 9/19/2011

Sept. 19, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — They respond to the gravest of emergencies, running into situations that most are running away from.

That is the responsibility of a call firefighter and at the moment, most of them are doing it for $10.50 an hour.

That is why Article 3 of the warrant for the Sept. 26 Special Town Meeting will ask for the town to allocate $5,000 for the call firefighters to receive a pay increase.

“To get up in the middle of the night or have to leave a party or be out there on the coldest day of the year or in a hurricane risking their lives, and to be doing it for $10.50 per hour? I believe the raise is more than justified,” Fire Chief Richard Brady said.

Currently privates, who make up the majority of the call firefighters on staff, earn $10.50 per hour. Lieutenants make $11.50, while captains make $12.50.

Privates have received 50¢ in raises since 2004, according to Brady. Privates made $10 per hour from 2004 until 2007, when they received a 25¢ bump in pay. When Brady became chief in 2009, he backed an increase to the current $10.50 rate.

Brady said he realized then that the raise was minimal and recently, being more comfortable with his grasp of the town’s financial situation, he submitted a proposal to the Board of Selectmen asking for a $1 increase for all privates, a $1.25 increase for lieutenants and a $1.50 raise for captains.

In all, Brady estimated the raises would require $4,000.

“Given the number of fires that occurred last fiscal year, if the same number of fires occurred this year, it could cost around $4,000,” Brady explained.

According to Brady, James Driscoll, chair of the Board of Selectmen, told him he felt the call firefighters deserved more than the original estimated sum in the proposal and increased that number from $4,000 to $5,000.

Not all are behind the measure, however.

The Appropriations Committee has voted not to recommend the article, not because of the amount of funds, but because of the timing of the request.

“I can tell you that they are in favor of the raise, but they’re not in favor of the timing,” Driscoll said. “In their opinion, raises should be brought forward at regular Town Meeting. We actually have a policy as a town to do so in order for things to be seen as fair and above board. I told the chief he should have waited.”

Despite the Appropriations Committee’s objections, Brady is not concerned about the article passing.

“I think the argument for giving these raises is so positive and so obvious that once it is explained to the people, they’ll support it,” he said.

A message requesting comment from the Appropriations Committee was not returned as of press time.