FREDERICKTOWN — The Fredericktown Community Fire District Board approved a motion at its last meeting to schedule 80 hours of paid time each month for the fire department. Beginning Aug. 1, a firefighter will be scheduled at the station for a total of about 18 to 20 hours each week.
Chief Scott Mast said the shifts will be flexible, but will probably average eight hours.
All 24 members of the volunteer department will be able to sign up for the shifts. Mast said he plans to allow firefighters who work during the day to sign up for shorter shifts in the evening.
The chief said that during the time the firefighters are paid to work at the station they will be available for fire calls, but their time will be spent completing fire department duties that require time in addition to their already-full volunteer schedule.
Fire board member Bill Whaley said the time volunteers already devote to the department can not be overstated.
“Volunteers already give so much time and do so much; what the part-time position will afford is allowing the station house and equipment to be better maintained,” he said.
Whaley said the work required to keep thedepartment running smoothly justifies the 80 paid man-hours per month that will cost the department less than $10,000 a year.
“Making sure the vehicles are 100 percent ready to go every time a run comes in, and ensuring that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment that needs to be maintained on a constant and routine basis is always kept in perfect shape, is very important,” he said.
Whaley said any maintenance work completed by the part-time position will free up firefighters there on a volunteer basis, allowing them to spend more time on training and preparedness.
Mast said the department will continue to offer even more service to the community. A 15 percent average annual increase in fire runs in recent years, and continued building and development in one of the county’s largest fire districts covering 118 square miles, means firefighters are busier than ever.
Assistant Chief Larry Schunke said he routinely spends several hours each week at the station completing state-mandated administrative paperwork and computer entries of run reports.
Schunke said the new part-time shifts will help with the workload, and give him time to work on other duties.
“This will ease that burden a little bit because the part-time people can be trained to enter paperwork and run reports during their shift,” he explained. “I can spend more time doing other things that benefit other aspects of the department.”
The fire inspection bureau of the department has also been undergoing increasing professional development. The department will be responsible for approximately 250 inspections this coming year.
Besides specialized training, all firefighters are now required by the state to receive 18 hours of continuing education training each year. This is a combination of classroom and hands-on training.
The chief said that during the time the firefighters are paid to work at the station they will be available for fire calls, but their time will be spent completing fire department duties that require time in addition to their already-full volunteer schedule.
Fire board member Bill Whaley said the time volunteers already devote to the department cannot be overstated.
“Volunteers already give so much time and do so much; what the part-time position will afford is allowing the station house and equipment to be better maintained,” he said.
Whaley said the work required to keep the department running smoothly justifies the 80 paid man-hours per month that will cost the department less than $10,000 a year.
“Making sure the vehicles are 100 percent ready to go every time a run comes in, and ensuring that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment that needs to be maintained on a constant and routine basis is always kept in perfect shape, is very important,” he said.
Whaley said any maintenance work completed by the part-time position will free up firefighters there on a volunteer basis, allowing them to spend more time on training and preparedness.
Mast said the department will continue to offer even more service to the community. A 15 percent average annual increase in fire runs in recent years, and continued building and development in one of the county’s largest fire districts covering 118 square miles, means firefighters are busier than ever.
Assistant Chief Larry Schunke said he routinely spends several hours each week at the station completing state-mandated administrative paperwork and computer entries of run reports.
Schunke said the new part-time shifts will help with the workload, and give him time to work on other duties.
“This will ease that burden a little bit because the part-time people can be trained to enter paperwork and run reports during their shift,” he explained. “I can spend more time doing other things that benefit other aspects of the department.”
The fire inspection bureau of the department has also been undergoing increasing professional development. The department will be responsible for approximately 250 inspections this coming year.
Besides specialized training, all firefighters are now required by the state to receive 18 hours of continuing education training each year. This is a combination of classroom and hands-on training.
The chief said the all-volunteer department consistently fully staffs fire calls; the paid shifts are not necessary to ensure enough firefighters are available for fire runs.
“On average, we have between 15 and 20 firemen respond on a structure fire,” said Mast. “We’re trying to expand some of the services we are able to offer that exceed the time constraints of the volunteers, particularly during the daytime hours; that’s the rough one.”
The chief said that while most employers are generous and cooperative about allowing volunteers to leave work to respond to an emergency, carving out time to complete the hours of administrative work required to run a large and busy department can be a challenge.
Volunteers receive a stipend of $6 per run, which Whaley said does not nearly cover the firefighters’ expenses for fuel and pesonal equipment.
Mast said the department plans an even greater presence in the community.
“One of our departmental goals is to be increasingly active in our local schools in regard to fire prevention and education, and hopefully cultivate an interest within students that could one day lead to them becoming volunteers with our department,” he said.
The chief said that as the department’s participation in the community increases, the amount of time the firefighters spend on duty grows as well.
“We are experiencing more requests than ever for informational seminars and station tours from civic organizations, senior citizens groups and local families,” Mast said. “We always welcome people to stop by anytime to ask questions, see the equipment, and meet the firefighters who proudly serve them. I’m excited about the prospect of being able to continue to increase our level of professionalism and the variety of services we offer the community.”
