Firefighters hope paid part-timers will help insurance ratings

Sep. 4--HENDERSON -- With ISO testing around the corner for county volunteer fire departments, Vance County officials hope the newly-budgeted paid part-time positions will improve their ratings and in turn reduce the cost of homeowners insurance for residents.

Earlier this summer, Vance County Commissioners allocating funding in the fiscal 2019-20 budget for two paid part-time positions at all volunteer fire departments, except for the Epsom department, which received funding for one. It border Vance and Franklin counties and sought only one such position.

If a department fills the positions, it's eligible to receive up to about $86,000 a year to pay the new hires for their Monday-Friday contributions.

The county's maximum pay-out is 60 hour a week, about $13 an hour depending on whether a new hire works in a driver or firefighting position, which is up to the departments, County Manager Jordan McMillen said.

It pays based on the number of hours worked, which the department chief reports to them.

But two part-time positions doesn't equate to just two people, though, McMillen noted. The county is paying a certain amount of money for part-time slots, and those slots are filled by several people.

"When we say one part-time position, that one part-time position is filled by several people," he said. "It might be five people and each one might work one day of the week for 12 hours that makes up [the department's allotted] 60 hours that week."

According to McMillen, many departments jumped at the opportunity to bring on paid staff, as before this year, all positions were volunteer-based and without compensation.

During August's County Commissioners meeting, two department chiefs addressed the board, expressing their gratitude for the funding and how much it has helped in recruiting individuals and retaining current volunteers. Departments were able to hire part-time employees as of July 1.

McMillen said the departments have hired a mix of new firefighters and ones who previously were just volunteers and are now receiving pay.

With a slight increase in firefighters, county and volunteer department officials hope response times improve and department ISO ratings with them come fall. This was part of a long-term plan to improve ratings that's also included the construction of a county water system.

The Vance County Fire Department pays a full-time fire engineer, the lowest paid position, $32,000 to $37,000 annually, while fire captains are paid in the $45,000 range, according to McMillen. Battalion chiefs make anywhere from $45,000 to $55,000 a year.

These positions come with benefits, while the part-time positions do not.

Many of the paid-part timers are moonlighting from other departments in other counties.

McMillen acknowledged, that "yeah, without question" many of these volunteers, two of which he could name off the top of his head, were working a full-time position elsewhere and are working at their local volunteer department during their days off from their main job.

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