The sun had barely risen as firefighters stood at the intersection of Old Hammond Road and Airline Highway in Baton Rouge. They held signs and wore their standard bunker gear and helmets, attempting to grab the attention of passersby.
Firefighters in East Baton Rouge parish currently earn a starting salary of $33,207 a year – about 20% less than the industry standard of $40,000 in Louisiana; it's the bottom of the pay scale for a state that ranks 49th in the nation for firefighter compensation. Ahead of Nov. 5, they are asking residents for help.
“$33,000 to be a professional firefighter is not enough to live,” said Jake Morgan, the 33-year-old president of the Firefighters Association in East Baton Rouge.
Morgan, who does home inspections on his days off, says it's no secret firefighters work multiple jobs. Many of his colleagues are in construction or similar blue-collar gigs, and a handful sell insurance. But for a job that requires ten 24-hour shifts a month, Morgan says the caliber of wages in East Baton Rouge is driving staff away.
Last year, 15 to 20 firefighters left the department, mostly to chase higher-paying jobs in neighboring parishes. Morgan, who has worked at the department since 2012, says it is the biggest year he’s seen for resignations.
“Our retention has never been worse,” added Dylan Bergeron, another firefighter holding a sign.
Bergeron works part-time at another department in Gonzales to make ends meet.
“Guys, they come through, they start, they work a little, then they leave for better-paying jobs," he said.
At 580 employees, Morgan says the fire department is currently only slightly short-staffed, and overtime work can easily make up for the lack of manpower. But if employees keep leaving, he says it could present a threat to public safety.
“Because then you're wearing down your firefighters and they’re showing up to work tired,” he said.
Other departments are similarly struggling with wages. For example, the police department’s starting salary of $36,000 annually falls significantly short the $52,600 recommended by a recent Management Advisory Group report. The consulting firm’s study found that across the board, East Baton Rouge parish employees make far less than their counterparts in similar-sized cities.
"Your salaries are abysmal," said Senior Executive Advisor Russell Campbell at a Metro Council meeting in September. "And I'm saying that nicely. Abysmal."
If passed, the proposal would add 6 mills to the current 5.86 millage rate. That means residents would pay an additional $50 per $100,000 of assessed property value.
“That money would be solely used for firefighter salaries and benefits,” said Morgan.
Asking voters to raise their own property taxes isn’t an ideal strategy, particularly when two other similar proposals are on the ballot. In fact, Morgan says it was their last option. The fire department hasn’t sought such support since 2000, when residents established the original millage rate of 6 mills – rolled back to 5.86 last month by the Metro Council. While roughly 74% of firefighter pay comes from the East Baton Rouge general fund, Morgan said additional funding from that source is not feasible. The parish is expected to lose about $50 million in sales tax revenue due to the creation of the city of St. George.
“We went round and round with the city to try and find new funds to pay our firefighters with,” said Morgan. “Now the city is focused on balancing a new budget.”
Firefighters are worried the wording on the ballot, which does not mention anything related to the East Baton Rouge fire department, will confuse voters. Here is what it says:
City of Baton Rouge - 6 Mills - MC - 10 Yrs.
“The title just totally handicaps us,” said Morgan. As a result, the 34-year-old Union president has decided to conduct media interviews and early morning pickets on Airline Highway to raise awareness for voters.
“We’re at the bottom,” he said, “Don't forget about us.”
