By Lauren Gregory and Michael Davis
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Copyright 2007 Chattanooga Publishing Company
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The head of the Chattanooga Fire Fighters Association said Tuesday that city firefighters are underpaid and should be compensated on the same scale as police.
“We would like to be on the same level,” Capt. Jeffery Eldridge, president of the association, a local union, told City Council members.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, increased homeland security requirements have meant more training and day-to-day responsibilities, said Lt. Frank Rozzell, union executive board member.
“And our pay hasn’t gone up to reflect that,” he said.
According to the city’s pay scales, a firefighter starting out in Chattanooga is paid an annual salary of $27,869. A new police officer starts out at $30,319 a year.
Donna Kelley, the city’s personnel director, said she expects the first draft of a city employee compensation study to come back in late summer or early fall.
“We realize we’re going to have to make adjustments, but we don’t know what those will be until the results of the study are back,” Ms. Kelley said.
Mr. Eldridge said that, over the years, inconsistent “step” raises have helped contribute to an overall lag in pay that falls short of compensation provided to the police department as well as that given at other, comparable fire departments.
The Chattanooga Fire Department lags 31.4 percent in base salary and 34.8 percent in total compensation, Mr. Eldridge said, citing a national study conducted by the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Representatives from the International Brotherhood of Police appeared before City Council members in April to lobby for an increase in their department’s pay.
“The police department has been very vocal in what they want,” Lt. Rozzell said. “We’ve kind of gone about it with a different approach. We’ll see if we can catch more flies with honey.”
But Sgt. C.W. Joel, president of the Southeast Tennessee chapter of the Police Benevolent Association, believes that the officers’ stance on the issue is appropriate and said he is not convinced that fire and police deserve equal pay.
“There is a reason our pay scale is higher,” Sgt. Joel said. “Comparing the diversity of our skill sets is like comparing apples to oranges.”
Sgt. Joel said he is concerned that the firefighters’ request could put a dent in any pay increase for the police department. However, he said, “if firefighters’ pay is as substandard as ours as compared to other departments, I would personally help them fight for a raise. If we’re both underpaid, then we both deserve raises.”
City Councilwoman Linda Bennett said the compensation study was a good investment by the city and that officials will have to wait and see what it suggests.
“The pay study, I think, will give us the answer,” she said.