The Plymouth City Council members approved the first reading of an amendment to the salary ordinance for fire and EMS personnel during their regular meeting last night.
The ordinance calls for an increase in the base salary for full-time firefighters and paramedics to $52,000. Volunteer firefighters will see a $3.00 increase to $15.00 per call.
The salary request was brought forth last month by Plymouth Fire Chief Rod Miller and City Councilman Don Ecker, Jr. as a way to entice firefighters to the department and to keep the current staff with a competitive wage. Research presented to the council indicated that Plymouth was one of the lowest paying fire departments compared to cities of a similar size. The fire department was also experiencing a shortfall of full-time staff and part-time volunteers.
The council previously approved the request and it becomes official when the ordinance is adopted.
