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Defiance council tightens part‑time firefighter requirements, approves pay update
Summary
The Defiance City Council on Feb. 10 adopted an ordinance increasing minimum monthly hours for part‑time firefighters from 8 to 24, adding quarterly training and an attendance policy, and approving a pay update aimed at improving qualifications and creating a pipeline to full‑time staffing.
The Defiance City Council on Feb. 10 adopted an ordinance to raise minimum service and training standards for part‑time firefighters, aiming to boost qualifications and provide a steadier pool of recruits for full‑time positions.
HR director Lanny Lambert told council the program change increases the required minimum hours for part‑time firefighters from 8 hours a month to a minimum of 24 hours a month, allows those hours to be worked in 8‑ or 12‑hour shifts, establishes quarterly training and regular check‑ins, and creates an attendance policy to ensure reliability. "Currently, they're only required to work 8 hours a month," Lambert said, summarizing the existing standard and the committee's recommendations.
Council members and staff framed the changes as a recruitment and quality‑control measure. Lambert said the revisions grew from a committee that included the fire chief and union officers and are intended to make part‑time staff "more qualified" so they can help reduce strain on full‑time crews and, where appropriate, feed into full‑time hiring. Council discussed contract constraints that currently limit how part‑time staff can be used and acknowledged that further labor negotiations or contract language may be needed to change overtime and assignment rules.
City staff also said the payment for the updated program will be covered in the city's 2026 budget, though specific pay rates were not stated during the discussion. The ordinance was presented by caption, the council moved to suspend the rules, and members voted to adopt the measure as an emergency to allow immediate implementation.
The change requires follow‑up implementation work: staff must finalize scheduling practices, training curricula and attendance enforcement, and coordinate with the union and the city's labor contract where necessary. The ordinance does not specify an exact effective date beyond the council's emergency adoption, and dollar amounts for the pay increase were not specified on the record.
Lambert and other staff did not provide a timeline for when newly qualified part‑time firefighters would begin covering additional shifts; council and staff indicated further operational details will be worked out in the coming weeks.
