Humboldt firefighters receiving two per cent pay increase

Humboldt council has voted to increase the wages of the city’s fire fighters by two per cent, and authorized administration to review a future multi-year scale for wage increases.

The Humboldt Fire Department is a paid-on call fire department made up of 30 members which consist of a fire chief, a deputy chief, two captains, two Lieutenants, a Safety Officer and 23 firefighters.

The wages are set by the Fire Brigade Membership and Pay policy which requires a council vote to change. It was last adjusted Jan. 1, 2020, before the recent vote on Jan. 24.

In his report to council, Mike Kwasnica, Humboldt’s fire chief and director of protective services, said a review of wages from other departments have shown that Humboldt is around the middle to lower end of the wage scale.

“Moving forward we’re looking at doing a wage review in 2022 to be ready for 2023 and to try to come up with a multi-year wage scale increase so we don’t have to come back every year for council,” Kwasnica.

Under the policy, standard firefighters pay is $16.80 for practices and $20.81 per hour on call. Captains receive $19.92 per hour for practices and $23.93 per hour on call. Lieutenants receive $19.92 per hour for practices and $23.93 per hour on call.

All classifications receive $2.08 per hour on standby.

In 2021 there was $90,815.39 paid in on-call wages and a two per cent increase would equate to $1,816, although administration notes that it would be difficult to estimate what the implications are for 2022, as that would depend on call volume.

“I think it’s important, as we discussed in the executive committee, that we recognize being fair in the pay to our volunteers who provide a very valuable service to our community and our citizens,” said Michael Behiel, Humboldt’s mayor. “So I think this is an important step and I think the reviews are definitely going to be appreciated on an ongoing basis to ensure we stay adequately compensated with those volunteers.”