The New Ipswich Select Board is considering whether to change how the town’s firefighters are paid.
New Ipswich does not have a full-time department, but does pay its firefighters to respond to calls, explained Fire Chief Meredith Lund during the board’s meeting Tuesday. Currently, firefighters get a stipend based on their amount of training, and Lund said she wants to switch to a pay-by-the-hour system.
Lund presented a proposed pay scale for firefighters, with the chief and deputy chief continuing to receive their current annual stipends of $11,500 and $4,244, respectively. She said the proposed hourly pay was based on a middle-of-the-road approach compared to pay in neighboring towns, and attempting to keep within her own department’s budget. The proposal ranges from $12 per hour for a non-certified firefighter, to $19 per hour for a fire captain.
“I didn’t take the highest, and I didn’t take the lowest,” Lund said.
She also requested that pay, as it would be more variable under an hourly system, be paid out monthly instead of weekly.
Under the system, Lund said firefighters would be guaranteed at least one hour of pay if they responded. Only the department’s certified EMTs would respond to medical calls, unless there was a belief CPR would have to be performed. The department would pay for in-house training time, but not for outside classes.
Lund said alternatively, the town could revamp how it pays stipends, and create a definition for what a “department member” is considered to be to create expectations for what it takes to receive a stipend.
Board members expressed willingness to explore the idea, but Jason Somero said he wanted a clearer picture of the numbers before committing. He requested Lund craft a estimate of how much the town would have paid firefighters for the last six months under an hourly system, and how it compared to the stipend system.
“It seems much more unpredictable,” Somero said.
“It is also more equitable. The person doing the most amount of work is getting the most amount of pay,” Lund said. “I think you’re going to find that this is going to keep us pretty much in line [with our budget].”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertran script.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.