Fire & EMS Update

Where we are now . . .

Kingsville Township provides 16 hours of staffed Fire & EMS service, 7 days a week from 6am until 10pm. The remaining 8 hours are covered by volunteers. There are over 12 paid part-time employees who fill EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic shifts. In 2018, there were 695 EMS calls and 84 Fire calls.

Looking to the future . . .

The current Fire Chief, Neal Stewart, has done an excellent job of building up our fire department from a volunteer organization into a paid part-time Fire & EMS service that provides timely and skilled service to Kingsville residents. To continue this success, the department needs to move from a volunteer model to more of a staffed model. To do this, the Trustees are looking to hire a full-time Fire Chief who shares the same certifications as the employees he/she is overseeing. We are looking to hire an individual who will work one of the existing shifts for $40,000 a year and have the Fire Fighter II and EMT-Paramedic certifications. Since this position will cover an existing position, there is no additional cost to the Township (see the numbers broken down below). We believe this new job position better reflects the department that Chief Stewart has created and will ensure that it can be maintained and managed well into the future.

Breaking down the cost . . .

– EMT-Paramedics earn $13.50 / hour.
– So, for 40 hours a week, we currently pay $28,080 for a staffed paramedic ($13.50 x 40 hours x 52 weeks).
– Add this amount to the funds currently allocated for the Chief ($5,000) and Assistant Chief* ($4,000) and we are at $37,080.
– Additionally, if the Chief performs fire inspections there would be another $3,000 saved, giving the Township $40,080 to pay the new Fire Chief position.

*funds are allocated for the Assistant Chief position, but it has not been filled in the recent past.