How Much Would You Pay For Fire And Ambulance Service?

To say that Old Lyme's fire department and ambulance service work hard for the money would be a drastic understatement. Fact is, in Old Lyme, these departments are staffed entirely by volunteers.

The dedicated fire fighters and EMTs work around the clock during times of crisis, and they do it for love, not money. But that doesn't mean they don't deserve some compensation.  

To encourage people to volunteer, the town of Old Lyme offers some incentives. Accordingly, firefighters and ambulance volunteers are eligible to receive a modest pension and a $1,000 break on their property taxes.

A Little History

The incentive program was first established in 2004. If members of the fire department and ambulance service responded to a certain number of emergency calls, attended a certain number of meetings, and went through a certain number of training sessions, they would be entitled to a pension.

It began as a modest amount of $603, which was raised to $640 the next year, and to $660 the following year. Then the increases stopped. It's been stuck at $660 ever since and that's something that the Fire Department and the ambulance volunteers would like to see changed this upcoming budget.

Last night, Old Lyme's Board of Selectmen voted to recommend that the Board of Finance increase the pension by $100 over the next three years to "catch up" with the years of no raises, and to give annual increases of 3 percent from here on to match the annual raises generally afforded to town employees.

That amounts to $864 in fiscal year 2013-2014, $880 in 2014-2015, and $896 in fiscal year 2015-2016.

Who Qualifies for Financial Incentives? 

Both the fire and ambulance departments are debating who will be eligible to receive the stipend. Each volunteer must accrue a certain number of points, 50 in the fire department, which they earn for attending a requisite number of meetings, emergency calls, and trainings in a year.

However, a number of people have served as volunteers in the fire department for more than 20 years and, while they have certainly earned their due, they may not be physically able to attend as many meetings or emergency calls as they used to. Whether they should still receive compensation is currently being negotiated by a committee that was established by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen some months back. 

As for the $1,000 break on property taxes, the same rule applies but a recent law passed by the state Legislature turned that apparent gift into taxable income, which meant that after paying state taxes, insurance, and social security, volunteers received less than the amount originally intended.

The Board of Selectmen, however, are in agreement that the town saves considerable money by having a fire and ambulance service staffed by volunteers, and has a vested interest in keeping it that way. So any incentives that encourage people to volunteer, First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder said, should be supported.