On November 20th, RDOS staff recommended to Board Directors that rural fire departments be standardized in the matter of stipends for officers.

That report to directors irritated a few and the staff were asked to do a “re-think”.
On Thursday, some directors wanted this to go to an in-camera meeting. Others won the day and said this is a budget matter not a labour negotiation.

Another move to defer discussion was successful and more talk will occur in two weeks – December 19th.

The problems was that staff were recommending compensation levels higher than some of the municipal fire chiefs and letting it out just what was being paid through out the region.

In a report not distributed to the press – all these matters – now revealed:

Municipal Fire Chiefs Stipends:

Penticton and Summerland are on a salary – no disclosure

Osoyoos Fire Chief paid $15,000 (proposed benchmark)
Oliver Fire Chief paid $10,600
Princeton Fire Chief paid $8,100

Rural Fire Chiefs Stipends:

OK Falls – $12,000
Keremeos  and Kaleden – both $11,000
Anarchist Mtn. $10,000
Naramata – $9,000
Willowbrook and Tulameen – no pay for chiefs or officers

Even revealing this provided for interesting insight and a bit of conflict.

The report written by Dale Kronebusch – Emergency Services Supervisor states “The intent remains to standardize the amounts and rates of pay throughout the Regional District Fire Departments, while respecting that each of fire service areas are unique communities and individual budgets have progressed at differing levels.”

The report recommends a “tiered system” for remuneration of officers – phasing in increases and maintaining such supervision over time.

Call volumes used to determine what tier a Fire Department is on

(3 year average used):

Tier one – over 100 calls a year (Okanagan Falls, Oliver, Osoyoos and Keremeos)

Tier two – up to 100 calls a year (Naramata, Kaleden, Princeton)

Tier three – up to 25 incidents a year (Tulameen – Willowbrook and Anarchist Mtn.)

All those areas listed in order with OK Falls the most calls and Anarchist Mtn. the least.

To get to the benchmark – OK Falls, Oliver and Keremeos would bump up to the Osoyoos level of $15,000

Naramata, Kaleden and Princeton would jump to $12000

Willowbrook and Tulameen would move to $8000. (Anarchist Mtn. would be red circled)

The report says that stipends are recommended as a target and implemented over a 4 years budget period or increasing 25% each year to get to a “consistant-district wide pay level” target.

Picture – Director Allan Patton with Willowbrook Fire Chief Brad Fossett