The Indian River County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 21 unanimously ratified a two‑year collective bargaining agreement with the Indian River County Firefighters‑Paramedics Association, Local 2201 (IAFF), covering Oct. 1, 2025 through Sept. 30, 2027.

County staff presented terms the board called "substantive and negotiated." The agreement includes a 4% general wage increase in each contract year (effective the first full pay period in October 2025 and again in October 2026); step increases for eligible bargaining employees in April 2026 and April 2027; an increase in an annual paramedic incentive (from $600 to $6,500 in the first year as transcribed, with a subsequent increase noted for the next contract year); and the addition of dual‑certified and special‑operations incentive pay. The county will implement a three‑week Kelly day schedule that reduces the biweekly average from 104 to 96 hours while preserving annual base pay, which staff said will require hiring 19 additional fire medics over time.

The agreement raises the annual tuition assistance pool from $50,000 to $75,000 and dedicates part of the increased tuition pool to paramedic training, staff said. The agenda packet and presenter noted a scrivener’s correction: the timeframe for new hires to attain paramedic certification should read 36 months (the contract language transcribed in meeting materials incorrectly said 24 months).

County officials praised the negotiation process and the contract’s components, with several commissioners calling out the incentives for paramedic training as important for recruitment and retention. Staff recommended and the board approved authorization for the chairman to sign the full agreement after final form review by counsel.