Paid-Call Firefighters

[post4031 16]

Does anybody know of any departments that use the paid-call system? I'm looking for information, Thanks!

[doug_e 0]

Try - Rural Metro

They used to do Rye Brook but that fiasco ended a few years ago.

[mstrang1 213]

I think post4031 was reffering to Paid ON Call firefighters, who recieve a flat rate fee for every alarm they answer. They recieve something like 25 dollars per call. I am not familiar with the inner workings of this type of department, but I believe it is fairly common in the Midwest, and I used to work witha guy who was (I think) involved in one in NJ(dont know township).

[doug_e 0]

Here's on I stumbled on . . .

http://www.pewaukeefire.com/jobs.html

[post4031 16]

Yes, I am referring to paid on call firefighters and there are departments in New York that do this system. Just wondering if anyone knew of any. Thanks for the replies so far!!

[Guest DG795]

paid on call departments are very prevelant in suburban areas of Massachusetts. Try digging/searching around there.

[Guest WolfEMT]

Deal Twp, NJ Fire Department is a volunteer department but with paid, on-call drivers.

[Guest]

This is a pretty popular system in Mass. and some other parts of New England.

[mfc2257 464]

While I was in college, I was "paid-per-call" for the Gettysburg, PA, FD... We were paid 10 dollars per call for basic EMS runs within our "first due area". If we ran a inter hospital transport we were paid 25 dollars. The same held true if we transported a PT from a scene and their treatment needs dictated that they go to York, Lancaster, Chambersburg , Hershey, etc instead of Gettysburg Hospital.

Shortly before I graduated there were some talks about billing for MVA's where the "tool" actually touched the car and thus an evolution of that would be having MVA's added to the "paid-per-call" list as well.

Gettysburg also added a "true" career EMS crew for their first ambulance during the day hours shortly before I graduated. Both ambulances were 100% volunteer at night as was the second ambulance during the day.

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

Doug is correct. Mass has several municipalities that run paid on call FF's. I know this one town (E. Bridgewater) that had full time and paid on call. The Paid on call guys would make like $12 an hour per call with a 4 hr minimum, and I even think drills were paid at a lower rate of like $9. They would also use the "on call" people to backfill for full time spots for shorted tours.

[Guest]

LACoFD has them....sorry, not in NY.

[STAT213 332]

My call department in NH is just such a department. The station is not staffed and there are loose assignments for night coverage (entire force is divided up into three shifts who take turns covering the stills.)

All members are paid $9.00/hr for time spent on the alarm. Needless to say, things can drag out a little bit on the fireground. The call log taken at each alarm dictates which members gets paid. You get paid for the amount of time the call took.

Not sure how this evolved. Its not entirely a regional thing, because a number of our neighboring departments are true volunteer companies. No $$$. It is common to the area, with a number of departments doing this. We are all Town employees, and have to fill out W-4 forms, etc.

Hope this helps.

[Guest]

 

All members are paid $9.00/hr for time spent on the alarm.  Needless to say, things can drag out a little bit on the fireground.  The call log taken at each alarm dictates which members gets paid. You get paid for the amount of time the call took.

Not sure how this evolved.  Its not entirely a regional thing, because a number of our neighboring departments are true volunteer companies.  No $$$.  It is common to the area, with a number of departments doing this.  We are all Town employees, and have to fill out W-4 forms, etc.  

.

Its a bad system- It doesn't work. It leads to guys milking the system taking a long time to drag out the calls, Etc... :-k

[cas2383 22]

Im pretty sure the town of Farmington CT has the paid per call system. A good friend of mine is a member there, allthough they are volunteer they recieve 5 dollars per call as reimbursment for personal expenses ( gas etc...) I do believe if theyre at a call for a certain period of time or for standbys they do get more money. They are only paid twice a year from what i gather as well.

[ndemarse 0]

I was a member of a paid-on-call department in Illinois before I moved out here. The city was Westmont, IL.

We had 2 houses. 3 FF engine (including the boss) on the North side and a 3 FF engine & 3 FF Tower Ladder on the south side. Each house has (1) full-time ambulance staffed with paramedics.

We bid for shifts each month for the next month. By the 25th of each month you knew what tours you would be working for the next month. Work tours were 6am-6pm on the day tour and 6pm-6am on the night tour.

I ended up making this my full-time job before being hired out here. I made very good money at it, but worked a ton of hours doing it. We received an hourly rate depending on your certs, qualifications and rank. There was 1 1/2 time OT for any hours worked over the set amount.

Any "general alarm" (building fire, hazmat, tech rescue, mutual/auto aid, or manpower callback) would bring back off-duty members if they chose to come in.

The city called it "paid-on-call" but it seemed to me more of a "paid-part-time" department. If anyone knows of anything like this out here (NY), let me know.

[HCFRFF 0]

I live in Horry County SC (Myrtle Beach area) We are a combi department with about 300 career and about maybe 300 vollies. The vollies are paid $10 a call and i believe $10 for every hour after the first hour of a call. They fianlly stopped the responses of vollie pov to medical calls cause they would show up with the medical knowlege and get in the way,scream on the radio or just sit there and collect $10. The county just recently started up a support staff. kinda like a ladies axullary. so know they too are getting paid $10 a call to do nothing, really to do nothing. maybe get water is the most they might do. Im origanlly form Crugers NY if anybody knows where that is...(between montrose and croton) Im in no way knocking vollies i sure havent forgot where i came from and never will. I just really think that if your gonna volunteer you shouldnt be paid i guess cause thats the way it is back in good olde westchester county and they way i was brought into the service, im mean your getting all the free training you want....I wonder how many vollies would stick around if they got rid of paper call....i bet i could count on my fingers how many would be left in my dept....how many would be left in yours? :-k