Escambia County Government: BCC Unanimously Approves Pay Raises For EMTs, Paramedics

Press release from Escambia County Government:

Oct 21, 2021

On Thursday, Oct. 21, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the International Association of EMT's and Paramedics, the National Association of Government Employees and Services Employees International Union Local 5000.

Effective upon the first full pay cycle following the effective date of this Agreement, the hourly base wage rate for newly hired and existing employees in each bargaining unit classification covered by the CBA will be as follows:

Classification:
EMT Full-time:                  Current Rate: $15.04          New Base Rate: $18.33
Paramedic Full-time:        Current Rate: $19.19          New Base Rate: $25.32
Storekeeper Technician:   Current Rate: $12.99          New Base Rate: $15.22
EMT Relief:                       Current Rate: $15.04          New Base Rate: $20.24
Paramedic Relief:             Current Rate: $19.19           New Base Rate: $27.41

"I want to commend Director Gilmore and Director Torsell on moving quickly to ensuring what could've been seen as a critical resource as staff resourcing levels were addressed and continue to make Escambia County competitive and recruit great people for Escambia County EMS," said Escambia County Board County Commissioners Chairman Robert Bender. "To make this a first-class organization, you have to support them by being willing to pay for those employees, and I think the Board took the correct action today in making sure that we can continue to improve the services of EMS, along with retaining and recruiting employees."

Effective upon the first full pay cycle following the effective date of this Agreement, the hourly base wage rate for each existing full-time employee covered by the CBA shall be increased as follows:

Classification:
EMT Full-time 1-3 years:                                       Pay Step: (+2% increase)
EMT Full-time 4-6 years:                                       Pay Step: (+4% increase)
EMT Full-time 7+ years:                                        Pay Step: (+6% increase)
Paramedic Full-time 1-3 years:                             Pay Step: (+2% increase)
Paramedic Full-time 4-6 years:                             Pay Step: (+4 increase)
Paramedic Full-time 7+ years:                              Pay Step: (+6% increase)
Storekeeper Technician Full-time 1-3 years:         Pay Step: (+2% increase)
Storekeeper Technician Full-time 4-6 years:         Pay Step: (+4% increase)
Storekeeper Technician Full-time 7+ years:          Pay Step: (+6% increase)

"While all Public Safety employees are critical to the essential functions of Escambia County, this was needed to be competitive for the wages paid for our paramedics and EMTs throughout the Panhandle," said Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore.

Escambia County Public Safety is responsible for keeping citizens safe from emergencies and both man-made and natural disasters. Its divisions include Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Rescue and Pensacola Beach Lifeguards. For the latest information on emergency management services in Escambia County, residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts on myescambia.com.

Follow Escambia County Public Safety on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: @ECPublicSafety
Twitter: @ECPublicSafety

 
Classification:
Current Rate: New Base Rate:  Current Rate:  New Base Rate:  Current Rate: New Base Rate: Current Rate: New Base Rate: Current Rate: New Base Rate: Classification:
Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step: Pay Step:

Escambia County Public Safety is responsible for keeping citizens safe from emergencies and both man-made and natural disasters. Its divisions include Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Rescue and Pensacola Beach Lifeguards. For the latest information on emergency management services in Escambia County, residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts on myescambia.com.

Follow Escambia County Public Safety on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: @ECPublicSafety
Twitter: @ECPublicSafety

This press release was produced by Escambia County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.