ATLANTA — City of Atlanta firefighters could see pay raises in their future.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced Thursday that he reached an agreement with the department for the pay raises. The measure now heads to the city council for its approval.
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The mayor and department are proposing raises that would range from 7% and 15.5%. The pay raises are aimed to attract new recruits and help with retention rates.
“The women and men of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department put their lives on the line on behalf of Atlanta residents, and as Mayor I want to make sure they are fully supported,” Dickens said. “These increases will go a long way toward helping us recruit and train the best firefighters in the region as well as retain firefighters who have served our City for years. I thank Chief Smith and the leaders of the Atlanta Professional Fire Fighters for working with me as we charted this path forward.”
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Channel 2 Action News has been reporting on the fire department’s recent struggles.
Atlanta Fire officials told Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston in April that they wanted to hire more than 100 new firefighters so they can be fully staffed.
Retirements and resignations are the primary reasons Atlanta Fire is low on first responders.
“We are in a different space now, and we are looking to hire some worthy and qualified people,” Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith said.
Smith says dozens of firefighters are ready to retire and, since the pandemic, dozens more have decided to leave the department. All of these decisions have left Chief Smith searching for candidates year round instead of at a few job fairs a year.
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