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Torrance County approves pilot Chief’s Pay program, posts Safety Officer role; fire chief updates on recent wildfires
Summary
Commissioners approved a $20,000 pilot Chief’s Pay MOU and a CBA with the Fire Department, directed the Safety Officer position be posted (reclassification of an existing firefighter/medic), and received wildfire updates including a roughly 852-acre fire requiring continued suppression.
The Board approved a pilot "Chief's Pay" Memorandum of Understanding aimed at compensating employees who take on additional responsibilities, with a maximum budget allocation of $20,000. County Fire Chief Gary Smith described the program as a controlled pilot that will be accompanied by a formal policy to establish eligibility and oversight; "The program has a maximum budget allocation of $20,000," Smith said. Commissioners conditioned approval on adoption of a formal policy to prevent open-ended use of the funds.
Separately, the Board approved the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Fire Department union. Chief Smith also outlined a proposal to reclassify an existing firefighter/medic into a Safety Officer role (approximate pay $20.50–$23.00/hour) to centralize inspections, investigations and pre-fire planning as a step toward a future County Fire Marshal function; commissioners directed that the position be publicly posted to allow applications.
Fire Chief Smith and Interim Manager Stephanie Reynolds also briefed commissioners on recent wildfire activity: the Deer Canyon fire (about 115 acres) with established fire lines and the larger Canyon/Varnado complex (about 852 acres) where suppression operations continue. Chief Smith said reimbursement claims are being filed and interagency coordination remains active.
