JAY — Selectpersons have added employees of the Fire Rescue Department to the town’s Personnel Policy with some exceptions, effectively eliminating the department’s bylaws under which it formerly operated.
The board also accepted job descriptions on Monday for several officer positions and a new pay scale and stipends for officers. Job descriptions and pay rates for the officers of the emergency medical services provided by firefighters will be completed in the future.
A committee made up of firefighters and town officials worked on the job descriptions and pay rates for several months.
Originally, the Fire Rescue Department had bylaws but when the new chief was hired, there was a lot of confusion over their wording. There were also no job descriptions that outlined the duties of each position, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.
The new pay rates go into effect July 1.
Currently, everybody on the department has three different pay rates. Under the new rate system, there will be one pay rate. Officers of the department will get an additional stipend for administrative duties.
The rates factor in a base pay rate along with training certifications.
“Each certification they get will add to the base pay,” LaFreniere said. “It encourages firefighters to get additional training.”
The new base hourly pay rate is: chief, $11.50; deputy chief, $11.25; assistant chief, $11; captain, $10.75; lieutenant, $10.50; safety officer, $10.25; Emergency medical services captain, $10.75; Hot Shot/junior firefighter, $7.75; probationary firefighter, $8; and firefighter, $8.25.
The officer annual stipends are: chief, $8,500; deputy chief, $5,000; assistant chief/emergency management agency director, $2,500; captain, $1,500; lieutenant, $750; and safety officer, $750.
The stipends for the emergency medical captain and lieutenant are to be determined.
Currently, the stipends for officers are: chief, $8,500; assistant chief, $5,000; captain, $2,500; lieutenant, $1,500; safety officer, $1,500 and emergency management agency director, $1,500.
The deputy chief is a new position this year.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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