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Spotsylvania pays some volunteers for fire and rescue service
CORRECTION:
The Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department received $132,500 from the county's revenue recovery program in fiscal year 2009. The amount was incorrect in a story Sunday. The fire department and Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad use a portion of funds they raise to purchase equipment, which was not clear in the story. The story also did not detail how per-diem pay rates for volunteers are calculated. The Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad pays volunteers $12.50 per five-hour shift. Advanced life support-certified volunteers are paid $14.50 per shift. Squad leaders decide minimum and maximum staffing, but only two members per crew--the driver and one technician--are paid. Volunteers sign up for their shifts based on their availability; the captain and CEO of the squad review the time sheets to ensure accuracy. The Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department bases volunteer pay on the number of six-hour shifts worked. The volunteers log their hours and an administrator adds up every six-hour shift and divides that number into the monthly allotment to determine the amount for each shift for that month. Each volunteer gets the same amount per shift. Date published: 12/28/2008
BY DAN TELVOCK Some Spotsylvania County fire and rescue volunteers are paid as much as $6,499 a year for their work. While some fire and rescue systems in the area offer minor tax breaks to volunteers, Spotsylvania is the only one that pays them. And one of the county's three volunteer departments decided not to do it, instead using the money for equipment and training. Some Spotsylvania supervisors were startled by the amount paid and the hours worked by volunteers. They have begun to question how they are going to fund certain core services, such as public safety and education, without a tax increase. "The amounts are surprising," said Supervisor Emmitt Marshall. "I have enough concern that I think the Board of Supervisors should discuss not only how the money is spent but how these people accumulate enough time to draw that kind of money. It might be OK, but it might not." The money comes from a "revenue-recovery" program that bills insurance companies when fire and rescue personnel respond to emergencies. The county receives about $2 million annually from the program. Carolyn Marsh, CEO and captain of the Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad, said recruiting and retaining volunteers has become more difficult. She said membership almost doubled after the squad began paying volunteers in 2006. "The younger generation has that feeling that they need to know what's in it for them," Marsh said. "Their fuzzy feeling is not the same as our fuzzy feeling. When I joined almost 21 years ago, I bought my own uniforms and I paid for my training out of my own pocket." Mark Kuechler, president and treasurer of the Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department, said paying volunteers helps the system thrive. His department got $195,000 a year from the revenue-recovery program, but the amount was decreased to $132,500 for this fiscal year. "I would be very upset if the Board of Supervisors took these monies for operations and deprived the volunteers of this incentive," Kuechler said. "The $195,000 is less than what it costs for three full-time employees." HELPING THE VOLUNTEERS Spotsylvania uses a combined system of paid and volunteer fire and rescue workers. Paid crews work weekdays. Volunteers cover evenings and weekends. But the county does not have 24/7 coverage at every station.
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 12/28/2008
The services are being provided that people need at a very minimal cost to the county. Remember, if these expenses are cut, emergency calls might not be responded to as quickly due to a lack of available coverage.
Assessors could wait at the Massaponax ramp with a backpack
and cardboard sign, "Spotsy Democrats broke, need help -God bless." They could load the cash they get from drivers into the backpacks which would be picked up by County vehicles, whenever the packs fill up.
Good Sam laws don't apply to trained personnel because once you have training you are no longer a layperson, you assume a different responsibility, a different code of ethics, and are held to a standard of care that a regular bystander isn't. Basically, once you're trained you should know better. As a volunteer EMT, my squad can be sued and I can be sued personally for negligence. It sure keeps me on my toes. I've never rec'd a dime for anything - not even a uniform or a training class.
As the article stated, the number of volunteers has gone up, whether the volunteer agencies use the revenue recovery money to compensate the volunteers or pay for training and equipment. The last thing we need is for the BOS to yank the money away from the volunteer agencies or to start micromanaging how it is spent. Replacing the volunteers with career staff is simply not a viable option.
Not all volunteers get paid. Many, including myself have the money be returned to SVRS. I have thought it would be nice to have the gas paid for when I am running rescue, but have not yet decided to receive payment for my volunteer services. I also commute 50 miles to volunteer in Spotsylvania, since I no longer live in the county. Just remember this story is just enough to irritate people and not the entire truth. A little research can go far for this article.
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