Citing the benefit of “retention and recruitment for our volunteer firefighters,” Fire Chief, John Thomas, requested a $2 per hour wage increase retroactive to January 1. He made the request at last night’s council meeting.
Thomas told the council, “Currently, the Elliot Lake Fire Service has 16 volunteers. Their last increase for a wage was back in April of 2016 with a top rate of $19 an hour. The average wage across Ontario is currently at $25 an hour.”
Councillor Charles Flintoff inquired about the training requirements for volunteer firefighters.
Thomas: “With the new regulations that came down from the province a year and a half ago, each firefighter, whether it's full-time or volunteer, must get their level one and level two. It's approximately 200 hours for your level one and approximately 200 hours for your level two.”
Councillor Helen Lefebvre noted, “it's unfortunate that [while] minimum wage has gone up, we haven't looked at increasing rates for something as crucial as firefighting.” Lefebvre also inquired about the Chief’s plan for future volunteer firefighter wages.
“For the 2025 budget, I am going to propose an increase to get Elliot Lake volunteer firefighters up to the provincial average,” Thomas said.
The motion was passed unanimously by the six council members in attendance.