May 16, 2023 The Durham Fire Department has lost 17 firefighters since January, and the majority remaining have less than five years’ experience.
Source Firehouse.com News
Durham firefighters feel they’re underpaid and their wages are making it hard to retain staff.
The department that ran more than 31,000 calls for service in 2022 has a problem with retention, WRAL reported.
Since January, 17 firefighters have left. And, about 60 percent of those remaining have less than five years of service.
The roots of the issue lie with the COVID-19 pandemic. The union said the city froze salaries citywide more than three years ago.
The way a firefighter’s pay is structured, they receive a 5% merit raise every year. With the exception of that mid-year adjustment 16 months ago, They haven’t seen a merit increase in more than three years.
“Not one Durham firefighter I’ve talked to, not one is asking for a raise right now,” said Jason Davis, president of Professional Firefighters of Durham. “What we’re asking for is for them to keep their end of the deal. We all signed up. We knew what the starting pay was going to be and when they laid that paper in front of us and said as long as you do a good job you’re going to get your 5% [raise] every year. They haven’t kept the end of the bargain yet. That’s what we just want them to do, keep their end of the deal.”