Press-Enterprise
HEMET, Calif. — Paramedics could be on Hemet fire trucks as soon as next month after an agreement was signed Tuesday between the city and the Hemet Fire Fighters Association.
The agreement establishes job classifications for fire engineer/paramedic and firefighter/paramedic, which will bring a 5 percent pay increase to qualified employees. Starting a paramedic program is one of the conditions of the city contracting for fire services with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. A split City Council voted in September to utilize the county, meaning the dissolution of the city’s 106-year-old municipal department.
Proponents say contracting with the county will save money and provide better service. Opponents question whether that will actually be true, saying the municipal department is actually cheaper and using the statewide Cal Fire department will mean an end to local control.
Full story: Agreement reached on paramedic program