Vernon Council Endorses Enhanced Firefighter Stipend Plan

VERNON, CT — The Vernon Town Council this week unanimously approved a plan to enhance the quarterly stipends for local firefighters.

Town officials said the premise was, "to reward Vernon’s volunteer firefighters and support the department's efforts to recruit new members."

Currently, all active firefighters qualify for length of service awards, which are similar to pensions and are based on years of active service to the department. Firefighters also receive quarterly stipends that are based on their levels of participation.

"Our volunteer firefighters do so much for our community and we are grateful for their service," Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne told Patch Thursday at a grand opening ceremony for a local restaurant. "Keeping our fire department properly staffed is increasingly challenging as volunteerism across the board has declined. These enhanced stipends demonstrate to our firefighters the value we place on their work and our continued gratitude for their service."

Before the matter went before the council, Champagne tasked Fire Chief Stephen Eppler and his command staff to establish an advisory committee that represented, "a diverse cross section of the department to examine the stipend program and to develop recommendations that would enhance and preserve the volunteer system."

Champagne used that input, worked with town staff to further develop a plan, and then presented it to the council.

Under the new plan, firefighters’ quarterly payments can be enhanced in three ways.

• Incident Response Enhancement: Firefighters will receive $5 for each call they respond to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and $8 for each call they respond to between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Certification Enhancement: Firefighters who earn Firefighter 1 certification will receive a $100 quarterly enhancement, those who earn Firefighter 2 will receive $200 quarterly, and those who receive Fire Officer certification will receive a $300 enhancement per quarter.
• Duty Officer Enhancement: Firefighters who serve as Duty Officers will receive an enhancement of $20 for each night they serve in that function. Duty officers triage calls for service and can often resolve them without a full department response.

The Town Council appropriated up to $65,000 to fund the enhanced firefighter stipend program.

"I am confident this action by Mayor Champagne and the Town Council will allow us to retain good firefighters, reward our most active responders and recruit new firefighters," Eppler said.

The stipend program will continue to recognize the work of fire department members who ensure first responders are prepared to handle emergency calls, Fire Marshal and Fire Administrator Dan Wasilewski said.

"The volunteers who do other critically important work, such as maintaining our equipment and keeping track of supplies, will continue to be recognized through the existing quarterly stipend program," he said.

There is a cost associated with the enhanced stipends, but it is "small" when compared to the "benefit our volunteers provide to Vernon," Town Administrator and Emergency and Risk Management Director Michael Purcaro said.

He added, "Public safety is our number one priority. This enhancement to the quarterly stipend program will have a direct and positive impact on public safety."