Star Tribune
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — A shortage of volunteer firefighters across the Twin Cities metro area has some suburbs raising on-call stipends to help attract new candidates.
Communities statewide have had difficulty retaining and recruiting non-career firefighters over the past several years, largely due to an increased demand on volunteers’ time and more stringent training requirements. South metro cities such as Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville and Eagan have raised compensation, which widely varies by department, in hopes of bolstering their service staff.
“It’s getting a little bit harder to find people who understand what the demands of the job are, and narrow it down to have good quality candidates that are here for the long haul and not just here to help occasionally,” said Judy Thill, Inver Grove Heights fire chief and regional director for Minnesota State Fire Department Association. “[The time demand] really weighs on people’s family and personal lives.”
Full story: South metro cities raise stipends to attract firefighters