Castlegar’s paid-on-call firefighters are getting a raise this year.
The Castlegar Fire Department currently has one pay structure for all its paid on-call firefighters, plus a stipend for officer roles.
However, the department says this pay structure doesn’t remunerate members who advance their education or qualifications.
In 2024, Council conducted a Fire Services Review. One recommendation was to create a tiered pay system to incentivize career growth and retention, recognize high performers, and improve recruitment opportunities.
Staff compared pay rates from neighbouring fire departments, including the Regional Districts of Central and Kootenay Boundary and the City of Merritt, to help inform the new remuneration model.
A seven-tiered pay structure was proposed – and approved by Council – on June 9.
The new model, effective July 1, ranges from junior members earning minimum wage to acting assistant fire chiefs receiving $42.18 per hour.
Certified firefighters at different levels will also receive increased pay reflecting their qualifications and responsibilities.
The new rates are as follows:
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Junior members (ages 16–19): Minimum wage
- Probationary firefighters: $22.20/hour
- Certified Firefighter Level 1: $24.42/hour
- Certified Firefighter Level 2: $26.64/hour
- Lieutenant: $31.08/hour
- Captain: $35.52/hour
- Acting Assistant Fire Chief: $42.18/hour
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Out-of-area deployment: $54.00/hour
While the rates are slightly higher than other local departments, Mayor Maria McFaddin explains how they reflect the elevated expectations and versatility required from Castlegar firefighters.
“Our pay structure should be a little bit higher in some ways because our firefighters have to deal with different infrastructure than some of those other places do, including airports and major industry, and not every one of those places has to deal with the same thing,” she said.
Councillors Brian Bogle and Darcy Bell also expressed strong support for the new structure, highlighting how it recognizes the unique challenges faced by the local department.
“I’m actually really impressed. I like the pay structure and how they’ve compared it to other municipalities, and I think it falls into a really good range,” said Councillor Darcy Bell.
The updated model will cost the City about $189,863 total, a $33,514 increase over 2024’s annual remuneration cost of $156,349 which Councillor Bogle says is relatively modest.
“When you initially look at this it looks like a lot of money, but it’s actually a very low cost per household. Not to mention the fact that areas not very far from us were proposing closing because they didn’t have enough people to run a department. So I think this is absolutely a good way to go and I’m fully supportive of it.”
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