HUMBOLDT — Humboldt council approved a 3.3 per cent wage increase over last year for Humboldt Fire Department firefighters.
Captains and lieutenants are to be paid $20.58/hour for practices and $24.72/hour for calls, while firefighters are to be paid $17.35/hour for practices and $21.50/hour for calls.
Fire chief and director of protective services Mike Kwasnica recommended the increase in a report presented at the Jan. 22 council meeting.
The Humboldt Fire Department is a paid on-call fire department made up of 30 members: a fire chief, a deputy chief, two captains, two lieutenants, a safety officer and 23 firefighters.
Kwasnica’s report stated that the wages are set and have been in place since Jan. 1, 2022. A review of wages from other departments has shown that Humboldt is right around the middle to lower end of the wage scale.
Council approved the increase. In 2023 there was $103,330.05 paid in on-call wages and a 3.3 per cent increase would equate to $3,409.89.
Kwasinca’s report said, “The members of the Humboldt Fire Department are a valuable part of our organization, and the members take pride in serving the City of Humboldt and surrounding area.”
