Fla. Firefighters Demonstrate for Better Pay, Benefits

Dec. 02--Marion County commissioners arriving at their meeting Tuesday morning were met by firefighters and paramedics demonstrating for better pay and benefits.

Wearing yellow T-shirts and holding signs with slogans like "protect your quality of life," as many as 80 men and women lined Southeast 25th Avenue.

"The purpose is to raise awareness. People need to be made aware of the way that they (county commissioners) treat the employees in the community is unacceptable," said Ryan O'Reilly, a Marion County firefighter and paramedic.

Ryan said salary negotiations with the county are painfully slow, and county residents need to know their firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians are severely underpaid. Salaries, he said, are substantially less than what other nearby counties pay.

In many cases, the county doesn't pay a living wage, he said. "But this is not just about money. This is about public safety, as well."

Of the county commissioners, O'Reilly said, "They don't care."

Experienced emergency workers are quitting. Sixty have left in the past year and there are more than 30 vacancies that still haven't been filled, according to Marion County Fire Rescue records.

Many of those leaving are experienced emergency workers who are being replaced by less experienced men and women, O'Reilly said.

Worse yet, dozens of firefighter/paramedics qualify for food stamps, O'Reilly said.

To make sure as many people know that as possible, the Professional Firefighters of Marion County union posted the fact on an electronic billboard at Southeast 17th Street and Lake Weir Avenue.

O'Reilly, who is also an officer in the firefighter's union, said that while it is unknown how many firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians qualify for food stamps, he has counseled many, knowing their salaries and the number of dependents in their homes.

"We're talking dozens (who qualify)," he said, though he noted that most do not actually accept the government assistance.

O'Reilly said that when he began working for the county as a firefighter six years ago, he qualified for food stamps. His starting wage was $8.88 per hour. He had a wife and three children.

The Marion County Fire Rescue pay has not improved much since then, according to Marion County records.

A firefighter's beginning salary is $8.98 per hour.

An EMT's beginning salary is $8.98 per hour.

A paramedic's beginning salary is $10.98/hr.

Combination firefighter/EMTs begin at $9.83 per hour.

Combination firefighter/paramedics begin at $11.93 per hour.

Because of overtime work that is typical in this kind of job, average salaries for EMTs through firefighter/paramedics range from about $27,000 annually to $42,000, according to county salary records. The annual starting salary for firefighter/paramedics in Marion County is $35,472.

Meanwhile, response times have increased due to a lack of adequate ambulances and firefighter/paramedic crews, O'Reilly said.

Whatever the reason, response times have been climbing, records show. While the national goal is 9 minutes in most cases, Marion County has crept up to 10.6 minutes in many cases.

Marion County Fire Rescue Chief Stuart McElhaney said it has become difficult to replace emergency workers who are leaving. Most disconcerting is the difficulty in replacing experienced paramedics who have contact with patients.

He said Marion County has now become a department for new, young emergency personnel who leave once they have a little experience under their belts.

The department has about 500 employees.

Starting annual salaries for firefighter/paramedics in Gainesville is $44,188 per year. In The Villages it's $42,653; in Pasco County, it's $43,389; and in the City of Ocala, it's $37,553, according to a recent Marion County advisory board workshop report.

O'Reilly said the union wants a $2 per hour raise for its members. All Marion County employees received a 3 percent across-the-board raise in October.

Courtnie Mims, 29, is a mother of two sons and wife of a Marion County firefighter/paramedic. She was one of the people out protesting Tuesday morning.

"We're one of the families that qualifies for (government) help," she said.

She doesn't accept food stamps or other government assistance; instead, she makes other sacrifices, like eliminating cable television and using basic phone service instead of smartphones.

Her husband has been working for the county as a firefighter/paramedic four years.

Asked whether he ever thought he might be standing on the roadside waving signs asking for a pay raise when he was still learning to be a firefighter, Kevin Mims, 31, said: "I wouldn't have believed it."

County Commissioner David Moore said there is little he can say because the county is currently negotiating with the firefighters' union.

He acknowledged that his emergency personnel were not paid at the same level as those in neighboring counties. He said the county was still recovering from the recession.

"We do have some catching up to make. We're still recovering from the Great Recession. We're doing the best we can," he told the Star-Banner after Tuesday's commission meeting.

Also during the county commission meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to make Assistant County Administrator Bill Kauffman the interim county administrator. If he performs to the commission's liking until Sept. 30, he will be granted a five-year contract.

The move increases his previous annual salary from $108,576 to $157,500. He will also receive $600 per month for a vehicle allowance. After the interim period, his base salary increases to $167,500 per year.

Commissioner Stan McClain said it will mostly likely not take until September to determine whether Kauffman is doing a good job and that the board will probably discuss his future tenure before then.

Commissioner Carl Zalak said he wanted a written set of goals for Kauffman so the board could better evaluate the new administrator, and so that he better understands what the board wants of him.

The board also agreed to grant Kauffman the same authority as any county administrator, which means he can hire and fire employees.

"We can't evaluate him if we tie his hands," Zalak said.

Kauffman said he was honored by the board's faith in him.

Reach Fred Hiers at fred.hiers@starbanner.com and 352-867-4157.

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