Blairmore Fire Station. (Supplied by Google Maps)

By David Opinko

Crowsnest Pass firefighters get first raise since 2005

Nov 28, 2019 | 5:00 AM

CROWSNEST PASS, AB – Firefighters in the community have gone 14 years without a single pay increase, but that will all change now.

Crowsnest Pass council approved the Fire Rescue Remuneration Policy at Tuesday’s meeting, giving an increase of $5/hour for most positions.

Firefighters work on a paid-on-call and volunteer basis.

The change is retroactive to January 1st, 2019.

Pay scale for firefighters in the Crowsnest Pass were approved on Tuesday, November 26. (Supplied by Municipality of Crowsnest Pass)

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“It is just a way for us to show our appreciation for the work that they actually do in our community,” says Mayor Blair Painter. “They perform a very vital role, it’s a very dangerous job, and we just wanted to recognize them and make sure they are compensated for it.”

Fire Chief Jesse Fox adds that they do not do what they do for the money, but it is always nice to feel appreciated.

This will be the first time that the Junior Firefighters, or for those under the age of 18, will be compensated for firefighting efforts in the Crowsnest Pass.

“It’s good to create that incentive, that little bit of a spark for someone that’s in high school thinking about joining the fire service. They can view it as a part-time job, same as working anywhere, and I think it’ll generate some interest there – you can always use more money in high school,” says Fox.

The goal with the Junior Firefighter program is to train them to become fully-fledged firefighters as adults.

Fox believes this will be an effective tool at boosting their recruitment numbers in the community.

“We have to work a lot harder at it than we used to. Volunteerism has been in a state of decline through all service groups, and especially now in the high schools, there has been less interest than we wanted, so we hope that giving a little bit of financial compensation to that group will spark some interest.”

Painter says the pay raise brings the Crowsnest Pass’ firefighters closer in line to what other similarly-sized communities offer.