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Richland council approves lateral hire incentives for fire department

5118090 · July 1, 2025
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Summary

The Richland City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-99 to add wage, promotion, vacation accrual and paramedic-reimbursement incentives aimed at attracting experienced firefighters through a lateral-hire program.

Richland — The Richland City Council on July 1 unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-99 to authorize a lateral recruitment and incentive program for Richland Fire and Emergency Services intended to attract experienced firefighters from comparable departments.

Deputy Chief Randy Ost told the council that laterals typically require far less onboarding than entry-level hires and “bring a valuable combination of experience. They bring in training and readiness.” He said the department’s recruitment team identified four main barriers and proposed four incentives to address them: placing lateral hires at the top pay step (F step) rather than an entry step; reducing the promotion-eligibility wait from…

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