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Firefighters urge pay increase, warn low wages are hurting Fauquier County recruitment
Summary
The president of the local firefighters union told the Fauquier County Board that the county’s step-and-grade pay system leaves Fire & Rescue the lowest-paid in the region and proposed a 5% cost-of-living adjustment or consistent 3% steps to retain staff.
Zachary Fowler, president of Fauquier County Professional Firefighters Local 3762, told the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors on March 12 that the county’s current pay structure is driving experienced personnel to neighboring jurisdictions.
"Fauquier County Fire and Rescue remains the lowest paid department in our region," Fowler said, noting that the local step-and-grade system gives 3% steps for the first five years and then drops to 1.5% for the remainder of a career. He cited a specific example: "One of our four-year firefighter paramedics who is making approximately $72,000 here in Fauquier County... left to join a neighboring jurisdiction as a recruit starting over at $90,000 per year." Fowler said that $18,000 gap illustrates an urgent retention problem.
Fowler presented three options the union developed to address the issue: a one-time 5% cost-of-living adjustment for Fire & Rescue employees; adopting a consistent 3% step across the scale; or keeping the current scale but implementing a 3% annual step increase with a step bump every five years. He said pairing pay changes with the county’s recent transition to a 42-hour work week would support both workforce health and financial stability.
The comment came during Citizens' Time; the board did not take immediate action on the proposals during the March 12 meeting. Fowler said Local 3762 represents roughly 90% of uniformed personnel in the county’s Fire & Rescue system.
