Commission approves boost in pay for volunteer firefighters

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – Volunteer firefighters for the Linn County Rural Fire Department will be getting a bump in pay for the new year.

At the Linn County Commission's Dec. 30 meeting, county Fire Chief Randy Hegwald reminded the commissioners that during budget time increasing firefighter pay in 2025 had been discussed. Hegwald asked if that needed to be done by a vote or a resolution. 

He said that it had been budgeted to move firefighter pay from $30 to $35 per call. That would bring their hourly wage up for training and any calls over three hours. That would take take the pay from $10 per hour to $11.67 per hour. Fire officers would go from $35 per call to $40 per call, and that would increase their hourly wage up from $11.67 to $13.33 per hour.

County Clerk David Lamb said that it would be good to have a motion to approve the pay raise. The commissioners approved that motion. Lamb said he would put it in the pay resolution for the following week.

The commissioners approved hiring Dale Hayes pending pre-employment screening  for the Pleasanton fire station. Hayes will be the 20 out of the 22 positions that are approved for that station. Hegwald told the commissioners that Hayes comes from volunteer fire service in Arkansas and has many years of service and a lot of certifications. 

Hegwald also reported that there had been 3 calls for the past week. Two were rescue and emergency medical service incidents and one was a service call.