Emmons County commissioners approve 8 hours annual paid volunteer time for county employees who serve on volunteer fire/EMS

Emmons County commissioners approved a policy Feb. 11 allowing county employees up to eight hours of paid volunteer time annually when they respond as volunteers to fire or emergency medical service calls, with approval required from each employee’s department head.

The vote follows several months of discussion about whether and how to compensate county employees who also serve as volunteer first responders. The board’s motion, offered during the employee-manual portion of the meeting, directed staff to draft a short written amendment stating that each Emmons County employee is eligible for up to eight hours of volunteer time annually; modifications to the policy will be at the discretion of the Board of County Commissioners.

Why it matters: County employees who are also volunteer firefighters or EMTs have in some cases left work to respond to incidents without any county-paid leave; supporters said a modest paid allowance recognizes public service and could help retain volunteers. Opponents raised tracking and fairness concerns, including how short responses and canceled calls would be handled and how the county would prevent misuse.

What the policy will require: Under the approved language, the eight hours is an annual allotment. Time must be approved by the employee’s department head and tracked at the departmental level to avoid central payroll complexity. The board said the policy will be reviewed and may be amended if operational or tracking problems arise.

Discussion highlights: Commissioners and staff debated details including whether the eight hours should be counted per incident or per calendar year, whether short trips that end in canceled responses should reduce the eight-hour allotment, and how to apply the allowance across departments (road, sheriff, courthouse offices). Several commissioners described the change as a modest, amendable starting point that is “better than what we have,” noting the county’s reliance on volunteers in towns such as Linton, Strasburg and Hazleton.

What’s next: The board directed staff to prepare a written amendment for the county employee manual reflecting the approved language and to return it to the board for formal inclusion in policy documents. Commissioners said they expect to re-evaluate the policy after one year of implementation.

Speakers quoted or referenced in the discussion are drawn from the meeting record; the board did not attach a numerical vote roll call to the motion beyond the meeting’s “all in favor/aye” confirmation, and the motion carried.