BREVARD COUNTY, Fla – As contract negotiations stay deadlocked between Brevard County and its low-earning firefighters, a new county commissioner proposed a workshop to address the low pay.
Someone new to Brevard County Fire Rescue gets paid as little as $15 an hour.
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Last week, a retired firefighter told News 6 reporter James Sparvero more than 100 firefighters quit this year because of low pay and a poor work-life balance.
Tuesday, firefighters again addressed county commissioners about morale being as low as their paychecks.
”I’m tired of hearing and seeing my brothers and sisters, literally, suffering,” retired BCFR lieutenant Kent Fey said.
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Others pointed out new firefighters who earn just $15 and hour don’t get a raise for five years.
“I have an employee that has eleven years on the job and still makes just a dollar more than minimum wage,” lieutenant Mason Boylan said.
After years of struggling to earn better wages, the firefighter union’s treasurer asked if there would finally be changes.
“Will this new commission show more concern than previous commissioners or will the state of apathy continue,” district chief Ryan Barrack said.
One of the three new commissioners following Election Day is Katie Delaney.
After listening to firefighters during public comment Tuesday, Delaney’s workshop proposal passed the commission.
“The reason why I brought forward the workshop is because I really feel like all of the stakeholders really need to be part of this conversation because there’s gonna be a mix of what we’re gonna have to do to make sure that our fire department is funded properly,” Delaney said.
Delaney, who campaigned to help firefighters make more money, said over the years, funding has not gone toward paying firefighters fairly.
”As far as why the commissioners decided to do it that way, I don’t really know, but what I do know is that we have a crisis right now and we need to do something different,” she said.
As contract negotiations are deadlocked, one of the firefighters who spoke said he’d like to see the county raise the fire assessment fee on properties.
The public workshop on firefighter pay is scheduled for Jan. 30 at the government center in Viera from 1-5 p.m.
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