Kilgore increases firefighter certification pay rate

Kilgore News Herald
Staff Reports
December 14, 2022

The Kilgore City Council approved an ordinance at last week’s council meeting to enhance additional pay for certifications obtained by Kilgore Fire Department firefighters, creating an equal certification bonus rate among all city first responders.

Ord. No. 1845 is an update to current city personnel policy.

“A couple of years ago, we went through the certification pay for our police department,” City Manager Josh Selleck told council members while introducing the ordinance.

“Basically, what we did was we realized they hadn’t been touched in a decade or so, so we updated their base certification pay. There are tiers of $50 to $75. In this last year’s budget, we talked about doing the same thing with the fire department. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the personnel policy change necessary to make that happen. This personnel policy change creates that parity between their beginner, intermediate, advanced-level certifications, etc.”

According to the text of the ordinance, any city employee cannot receive more than $275 per month for certificate pay regardless of the number of certificates earned.

Assignment pay may be paid in addition to approved certification pay.

An employee’s certification pay will become void when the employee is promoted to a position in which that specified certificate is a requirement in the job description of the new position.

Certification, allowance and/or special assignment pay are at the discretion of the City Manager, and may be added, deleted or changed periodically, as long as there are sufficient budgeted funds.

According to Selleck, both KPD and KFD will now have equal certification pay rates. These were included in the ordinance and are as follows:

Public Safety Certification Pay

Law Enforcement Intermediate Certificate — $75/month

Law Enforcement Advanced Certificate — $75/month

Law Enforcement Master Certificate — $75/month

911 Dispatch EMT Certificate — $25/month

911 Dispatch Intermediate Certificate — $75/month

911 Dispatch Advanced Certificate — $75/month

911 Dispatch Master Certificate — $75/month

Fire Intermediate Certificate — $75/month

Fire Advanced Certificate — $75/month

Fire Master Certificate — $75/month

Fire EMT Certificate — $75/month

Fire Paramedic Certificate — $125/month

Public Safety Assignment Pay

Law Enforcement K-9 Assignment — $200/month

Law Enforcement CID Assignment — $400/month

Law Enforcement Investigator Assignment — $200/month

Fire Special Assignment (Training, Maintenance, & Assistant Fire Marshall — $200/month

Fire Paramedic — $100/month

In-City Allowance Pay for Firefighters living inside the City limits — $300/month (Amended January 28, 2020 Ordinance No. 1755)

Drone Operator — $100/month

CIT — $50/month

Crash — $50/month

Intox Op — $50/month

FTO — $50/month

TCOLE Instructor — $50/month

Dispatch Technology Specialist — $50/month

SWAT — $100/month

Overnight Night Shift Differential $125/month

OIC — $200/month

Public Safety Education Pay

Associate Degree – $50/month

Bachelor Degree — $100/month (will not combine with associate degree)

Master Degree — $150/month (will not combine with associate degree or bachelor degree)