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Fire official urges higher stipends and recruits as volunteers decline
Summary
A fire-department official told the board the volunteer force is down to eight and possibly seven, proposing raising per-run stipend from $15.50 to $20 and combining meeting/training pay to $20 to improve recruitment; officials plan outreach to high school cadets. The board asked for follow-up but took no formal vote.
A fire-department official told the board the department is short-staffed and proposed increasing stipend payments to help retain and recruit volunteers.
“Our current stipend is at $15.50 per run. I would like to jump bump that to 20,” the official said, also proposing that meeting and training pay be combined and raised to $20. The official said the department currently has eight members and expects to lose one, and that recruitment efforts will include outreach at the high school and a cadet program that accepts 16-year-olds for non-fireground duties.
Board members asked clarifying questions about applicant numbers and noted the difficulty finding volunteers; the official said they have no new applications right now and will pursue outreach. No formal motion or vote to change stipend policy was recorded during the meeting; the item remains under discussion and requires follow-up and potential budgetary approval.
