Commissioner Bill Proctor started out the town hall meeting with an introduction as to why we were there. He explained his own role and how he felt a conviction to advocate for our brave men and women. Due to the Tallahassee firefighters responding to calls in the county and the county residents paying a fire service fee, Commissioner Bill Proctor is valid in his representation on behalf of his constituents.
How Do We Compare?
Joey Davis started out the evening with an explanation of the salaries for the various ranks. He showed graphs which visually illustrated the pay of all our ranks and how they compared to other comparable departments as well as much smaller surrounding departments.
When compared to comparable departments in Florida, Tallahassee is the lowest paid in all ranks except in the Chief ranks. Joey Davis expressed that he, as well as the department’s employees, feel as though the Chiefs deserve their pay. He also stated that he feels that the rest of the department deserves to have competitive pay as well.
The conversation continued, comparing other departments pension contributions. Tallahassee firefighters pay the second most amount into their pensions in the state of Florida. Pension contributions are paid by both the employer and the employee. When the Union says “a decrease in pension contributions” they are saying they would pay less into their pensions and the city would pay more. This adjustment does not affect the yearly salary that an employee makes but instead allows the employee to take home more of their salary.
Joey Davis stressed that all first responders deserve to be paid fairly and that the members of the fire department are happy for their brothers and sisters in blue (police department). However, when both the police department and the fire department’s pension contributions are compare there is a stark difference between them. Tallahassee Firefighters have two plans currently. Plan C pays 18.69% into their pension and Plan D pays 16.69% while Tallahassee Police Department is well below both plans at 10.9% into their pensions.
Requirements Before Being Hired
It is important to note that to be a Firefighter, these men and women have passed various tests (physical, mental, and intellectual) in order to obtain their fire standards. In addition to their fire standards they also have to receive their EMT license.
One member of the audience asked for clarification on the cost and time to an individual person to be able to be a firefighter. A rough estimate of cost and time was discussed as such: An aspiring Tallahassee firefighter must have 500 training/education hours at a cost of about $4,500. They must also have an EMT license to work for Tallahassee at a cost of about $10,000 and about 1,000 training/education hours. The audience member continued to point out that other jobs pay higher with no previous training and will provide “on the job training.”
The Cost Of Losing a Firefighter
Since October 1st, there has been eleven employees to leave the fire department directly related to the current issues (8 Firefighters, 2 Engineers, and 1 Lieutenant). Of the eleven employees lost, six of them had more than 3 years of experience. According to Florida Public Pension Trustees Association from 2018, “much of their required skills are perfected on the job, so replacement of an experienced firefighter costs at least $175,000 and 3 years on the job training.” Joey Davis pointed out that the City has seen at least $1.2 million dollars in lost investment within the last 6 month and explained that there are more firefighter rank employees lost due to the fact that it is easier for them to move as opposed to an employee who is older, married, and has more “roots” established in the community.
The City’s Proposal Compared To The Firefighter’s
The City stated that they were wanting to put more money into the lower ranks (Firefighter and Engineer) and Joey Davis explained that the Firefighters are attempting to follow the city’s model while also providing a small raise to every employee.
The Next Steps in The process
The next steps in the negotiation process is for both parties to go before a special magistrate who will look at multiple factors before making a decision on a fair contract. The arbitration meeting will be live streamed for the community to watch. Commissioner Bill Proctor announced a rally to be held at City Hall on Wednesday, March 27th at 1:30pm. The public is encouraged to attend and wear Red to show our support of our firefighters. An Ad Hoc Committee was also established and made up of seven attendees. They will create a list if priorities related to the ongoing needs of the Fire Department to be presented to the City of Tallahassee leadership.
Joey Davis spoke on the current three year contract that has just begun and what the union is aiming to accomplish for the members of the department and the benefit to the community. Some big points to be addressed are going to be obtaining competitive pay and benefits with other departments as well as competitive work week hours.
The town hall meeting came to a close with comments and questions from our neighbors in attendance. All the firefighters felt an overwhelming sense of community and the Union expressed gratitude to Commissioner Proctor for hosting this event and providing a platform to amplify the voices of our brave men and women.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
