PA County Considers Paid Time off for Firefighters

BEAVER — Paid or unpaid, that is the question.

Beaver County officials are considering whether to pay firefighters who are given excused absences for responding to emergency calls under a proposed policy. After a September pipeline explosion in Center Township, Commissioners Chairman Daniel Camp requested the county develop a policy that would allow volunteer firefighters who work for the county to take unpaid time off without penalty if they respond to an emergency prior to their shifts. Last week, Camp asked that the human resources department consider allowing firefighters to receive pay for that time off.

"I would say we need to make the decision if it will be paid or not," Camp said. "Maybe it would entice employees to become volunteer firefighters."

The policy would not apply to departments when there is scheduled shift work, such as the 9-1-1 center or the county jail, but only to those who work in administrative offices at the courthouse. Firefighters wouldn't be permitted to leave a shift to respond to a call, Camp said, unless it were a catastrophic event.

Commissioner Tony Amadio, a 45-year volunteer firefighter, said he supports the proposal.

"I would never leave work for a fire," said Amadio, a retired teacher. "But if you're at a fire, it would be nice to not have to leave to go to work."

The policy is still under review with the county's human resources department. Chief solicitor Garen Fedeles said the policy isn't up for approval in January.

Camp proposed the policy after he was contacted by Center Township Fire Chief William Brucker because one of the township volunteers who responded to the pipeline explosion needed to take a vacation or sick day. Brucker didn't want the firefighter to get in trouble, Camp said, which made him realize that while firefighters are protected by the federal Volunteer Firefighters Act, the county didn't have an accommodating policy.

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