Orrville Fire Department moving from volunteer to paid staff: Here's how it will work
ORRVILLE — The city has launched a new employment program to increase the number of firefighter staff. The idea came after a large increase in the EMS calls the city receives every year, which reached over 1,200 in the past three years.
The move, which started earlier this month, has already resulted in significantly shorter call response times.
Human Resources Manager Phil McFarren explained to the council the employment process will happen in three phases.
The first phase classifies former volunteers as seasonal employees. This started Sept. 1 and is expected to last for the next six months. The Fire Department created 12-hour day shifts and 12-hour night shifts where volunteer firefighters can sign up for the shift they want. They will operate from the Fire Station and take full responsibility for receiving the EMS calls during their shift.
By the end of February, Phase 2 will change the seasonal employees' work status into a permanent part-time status.
Moving from a volunteer organization to an employment organization
“To do that we need to ask the firefighters and medics to commit to making this their job, we are going from a volunteer organization to an employment organization,” McFarren said.
The second phase will include benefit packages, a set schedule and a defined pay structure.
The final phase is when the part-time employees move forward as full-time employees.
The rate of pay will vary depending on the certifications and previous experience of each volunteer.
Volunteers who work in town and are available to respond to all the calls on their shift will be permitted to stay at home. However, they will only receive a $25 stipend and will be paid for their time when they are on a call. They will be paid for a minimum of two hours for every call they cover.
Wages are estimated to be around $135,000 and will be supported by the Orrville EMS fund and the Fire Department wage accounts.
“These wages will allow us to be competitive enough to get the staff that we need,” McFarren said. The new positions will encourage more local individuals to work in town instead of working outside the city.
Fire Chief Chris Bishop said that the shift signups have been well-received since they started at the beginning of September. “After they have seen how it’s going and that they get to pick their shifts and choose when they got to work,” Bishop said.
The shift program has caused EMS call response time to decrease from nearly 8 minutes to 4 minutes.
Other actions:
The City Council approved applying for the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement Program. The grant is worth about $5,000 and will go for the streets and roads projects. The coming streets project will take place on Bell Avenue, McGill Street, and Washington Boulevard. The construction is expected to start by July 2024.
The Board of Control will enter into a contract with EDGE consultants to provide landscaping and architectural planning services. The consulting company will design parking and green spaces in the Depot area. The project will receive $250,000 from the State Fund.
Director of Utilities Jeff Brediger noted that citizens should notify their current supplier if they wish to switch back to the city aggregation program next year.
“If you don’t notify the supplier it will automatically renew the contract for another year,” Brediger said. Citizens who need more information can call the Utility Department at 330-684-5020.
The next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, at City Hall.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Orrville Fire Department to be staffed with paid employees
