Six years after cutting a paid on-call firefighter program, South Whidbey Fire/EMS commissioners this week agreed to bring it back.
In a 2-0 vote Thursday, commissioners Kenon Simmons and Mike Helland approved a recommendation to hire eight part-time employees to help improve the district’s day-time emergency response. Commissioner Bob Elliot was not present.
The part-time staff will consist of a captain, two lieutenants, five firefighters and emergency medical technicians. They will be hired June 1, fire officials said.
The district will spend $181,740 of its $2.57 million operating budget, which will be finalized for the district’s November meeting, to pay the part-time employees, according to budget documents.
The move to hire part-timers was made to “enhance the daytime responsiveness” of the district, according to Deputy Chief Mike Cotton. The district is currently a volunteer force, with a handful of full-time administrative firefighters serving as chief, assistant chief and deputy chiefs.
South Whidbey Fire/EMS eliminated part-time paid firefighter positions in 2009 for budgetary reasons, but as a result of responding to a projected 2,455 calls this year, the burden has become far too heavy on the shoulders of volunteers who often work daytime jobs on the mainland, officials say.
“When we find out we’re having calls during the middle of the day and we’re not responding to them, that’s unacceptable from this side of the table,” said Commissioner Kenon Simmons. “The community has the expectation that we’re going to show up when they call 9-1-1, and it’s a reasonable expectation.”