Local International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) president Jared Wallace is pleased that the union and Town of Cochrane were able to agree upon a new collective agreement and avoid having to go to arbitration, which was scheduled to take place this September.
“The agreement helps solidify some of the terms and conditions offered by the town, while at the same time brings the professional firefighters in Cochrane significantly closer to an industry-average wage,” said Wallace.
The agreement, which will expire June 30, 2014, follows more than two years of talks between the IAFF and the town, and resulted in a 6.2 per cent fire tax levy, which was already included in this year’s property taxes.
“We took a pragmatic, collaborative approach to reaching a settlement, while recognizing ratepayers’ ability to bear rising fire service costs,” said Cochrane mayor Truper McBride. “Council is committed to service levels that are sustainable, while keeping the public and firefighters safe.”
Wallace said the IAFF did not have to make any budget cuts to make the agreement work, but did have to examine the service levels closely to align allotted money into more practical uses.
McBride was also satisfied with how the agreement was achieved.
“Our approach worked,” he said. “We challenged the association to find cost efficiencies in the budget, and it did find a number of them. Town administration was then tasked with, and received association support for, finding other cost efficiencies.”
“The public won’t see a measurable change in the service levels in Cochrane,” Wallace confirmed, adding that many other area municipalities have not been able to achieve what has been accomplished in Cochrane.
With this new contract, Cochrane firefighter salaries are lower than those in similar communities in the area, but despite accepting less pay to reach an agreement, Wallace said the IAFF is happy town council ensured a continued level of service to the public, reaffirming its commitment to public safety.
The starting hourly rate for a Cochrane firefighter with basic training, CPR and first aid is currently $30.92 per hour.
After four years of service, coupled with enhanced training and qualifications, such as swift water rescue and advanced pumping, the rate can increase to $41.23 per hour.
