By Katherine Ullmer
The Dayton Daily News
SUGARCREEK TWP., Ohio — Keeping part-timers in Sugarcreek Twp.'s small fire department always has been a challenge because of pay issues, said Sugarcreek Twp. Fire Chief Randy Pavlak.
Firefighters receive their training with the department, but then “go to other departments for higher pay,” he said.
Pavlak recently accepted the resignation of part-time firefighter/EMT Kyle Ballinger, a member since June 21, 2010. Ballinger told him he was resigning because of the money, he said.
A firefighter/EMT in Sugarcreek starts at $8.85 an hour, while the average for other departments around the area is $10.57 an hour with Kettering at $12 an hour, he said. Each year they work toward closing the pay gap, but others raise their rates, too. “The tax base has to be able to support it,” Pavlak said.
Dayton has been hiring a lot of EMS/paramedics who are “going to make more or equal to what our lieutenants make down here,” he said. Full-time lieutenants in Sugarcreek make $43,000 a year, he said.
Sugarcreek Twp. has just 12 full-time people, 10 firefighters, plus the chief and assistant chief. The rest are part-time or volunteer,” but “everybody’s trained at the same level,” Pavlak said.
The number of volunteer firefighters is 12, down from the 32 they had when they received a five-year $1.3 million federal grant that allowed them to hire 24 part-timers and some took those jobs. They currently have 35 part-timers.
Bradley Mader, 31, an accountant from Sugar-creek Twp., is the department’s newest volunteer firefighter.
He was appointed March 7, and said he signed on “to help people.”
“I’m really happy to have a volunteer coming on,” Pavlak said.
Copyright 2011 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.