The City of League City will implement a daytime staffing plan for the League City Volunteer Fire Department beginning Jan. 4, 2016.
The City plans to use two ways to staff daytime crews.
Existing volunteer firefighters will be offered a stipend of $100 per day - consistent with Fair Labor Standards Act parameters – to staff Station One between Monday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Seven Emergency Medical Service personnel will also be cross-trained to serve in a dual role of first responder and medic. The individuals who are selected to cross-train will receive their fire certification training from Fire Academy Online and assistance from fire department staff. Upon certification, the paramedic firefighters will be required to follow continuing education rules by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Cross-trained EMS personnel will also receive a monthly incentive of $400 per month.
“Our goal is to improve service to League City residents,” said League City Fire Chief, Gary Warren. “This plan implements the use of stipends for volunteer daytime staffing while integrating existing EMS staff to dual roles and ensures our response to emergency calls is not compromised.”
The universal goal for fire service response times is seven minutes or less. League City’s average response times has ranged around 8.5 minutes throughout the last three years.
“The safety of our residents is our top concern,” said Warren. “Emergency calls are gradually increasing as the City continues to grow.
Our current response time is comparable to very large cities such as Houston, but not as quick,” continued Warren. “By strategically locating daytime staff in Station One, we will reduce our overall response times and come closer to a seven minute response time. We will also increase our chances of improving our ISO rating, serve as a better neighbor to our mutual aid cities, increase opportunities for non-emergency service initiatives and provide relief to volunteers with daytime jobs.”
Throughout the course of a year, it is estimated that League City’s volunteer firefighters provide about five million dollars of service to the City.
“It’s important our volunteers know how important they are to the Fire Department and our residents,” said Warren. “Our volunteer firefighters are essential to the safety of this community. We are thankful for their selfless dedication and commitment to making League City a safe place to live, work and play.
Costs for the plan throughout the next nine months will total $114,300.
The daytime staffing plan was approved by City Council on Nov. 10, 2015.