SALISBURY, Md. - The City of Salisbury has announced new hiring incentives and retention bonuses for employees if the Salisbury Fire Department.
The City say that ordinance was passed on September 12th that approved a budget amendment allowing $10,000 sign-on bonuses for new Firefighter/Paramedics and $10,000 bonuses for any current Fire Department employee who gets their Paramedic license.
According to the City, the incentives were introduced as a way to keep up with an increasingly competitive industry. They say that the Fire Department is not competitive anymore with area agencies, and is now experiencing a Paramedic shortage. The staffing shortages are on top of an increase in calls, says the City, which has shown a significant need for another EMS unit with overtime calls to cover the funds.
“The fire service, much like many other trades, has seen a huge hit to the workforce through recruiting and retaining employees,” said Ryan Jones, President of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 4246. “With the additional 4th run EMS unit, financial incentives for our paramedics, and obtaining time and a half for overtime, the members of the Salisbury Fire Department and IAFF Local 4246 have gained strong ground in our retention and recruitment efforts. The steps taken will help ensure we continue to staff our ranks with the highest quality employees and maintain positive staffing levels,” Jones added.
The City says that they opened their 2022-2023 applications for Firefighters and Paramedics in September. They say their annual hiring process is getting started, and will let the Fire Department fill key roles in their crew.
“The pay incentive for paramedics is a good way for the City to show prospective and current employees our dedication to supporting our prehospital care team,” said EMS Assistant Chief Christopher Truitt. “The majority of the paramedic training programs are 18-24 months of college classes and countless hours of field and hospital internships. The incentive helps to offset some of the burden that type of time commitment can place on an individual, such as additional childcare coverage and inability to work additional shifts while in class,” he added.
The City says that by encouraging current employees to become licensed as Paramedics, the Fire Department can do a better job serving the community, utilizing their staff, and provide employees with a broader set of skills.
“This incentive provides an incredible opportunity for me as a young EMS Clinician to further my education in order to provide a higher level of care to our patients,” said Firefighter/EMT Seth Tayman.
“In order to provide our citizens with the best possible service–especially in the case of the emergency services–we need to provide our employees with the best possible resources to do their jobs successfully and with few complications,” said Mayor Jacob Day. “Incentivizing current employees to obtain this certification is just one way of ensuring that not only are our employees feeling satisfied in their work, but that our Fire Department is robust and well-equipped to serve our City’s growing needs.”