The White County Board of Commissioners, in an effort to help retain what volunteer firefighters the county has and possibly entice others to step forward, has approved increasing the per-call pay for trained volunteer firefighters from $15 dollars to $30 dollars.
White County Public Safety Director David Murphy told the commissioners during a meeting Monday that the number of people who volunteer for fire service calls is continuing to decrease, not just in White County but everywhere.
Murphy said the county currently has 18 active volunteer firefighters, with three more currently in recruit school.
“Those that are valuable to us, that are meeting the minimum requirements, we believe this compensation will continue to keep them on board to continue to provide service,” said Murphy.
In addition to approving the pay increase, the board asked Director Murphy and County Manager Billy Pittard to explore the possibility of including compensation for training that the volunteers must undertake.
