New Contract For Fire Department Ratified

By Pru Sowers

Konk Life Staff Writter

Key West firefighters and emergency medical services staff have ratified a new three-year contract that gives them an incremental nine percent raise over the life of the agreement.

Firefighters will receive a three percent raise in each of the three years effective Oct. 1, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2018. That compares with the previous three-year contract, which gave a three percent raise in the first year and two percent in each of the following two years, totaling a seven percent pay hike overall.

Other changes in the new contract include an increase in longevity pay for fire department staff with 21 to 25 years’ service, boosting the annual incentive stipend from $1,750 to $2,000 in 2016 and $2,250 in 2017. Firefighters and EMS personnel with 26-plus years of service will see the annual longevity pay increase from $2,250 to $2,500 in 2016 and $2,750 in 2017.

“It’s pretty vanilla,” Key West Human Resources Director Samantha Farist said about the new contract. “Since we went into EMS, we made sure all the new positions were included [in the new contract] and any training required.”

The Key West Fire Department took over ambulance and emergency medical services from CARE Ambulance Services, the private contractor that provided EMS to the city for the past four years, on April 2.

Several positions in the department will also receive an increase in the incentive pay they receive for taking and passing training classes when they are off duty. In addition to receiving their regularly hourly pay, paramedics and fire inspectors will receive a two percent pay hike for the hours spent in a training class. Several other positions in the department will receive a one percent hourly bump for training.

Firefighters and EMS staff voted to accept the contract on Nov. 19.

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