Admin-05 - County Funded Stipend Program

Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department

Standard Operating Guidelines

Subject: County Funded Stipend Program SOG # Admin-05 Initiated 07/17/2024 Approved: Fire Chief Clay Fallis

Purpose

To provide a method to incentivize volunteer participation in the organization.

Overview

Residents of Mount Pleasant are provided with round the clock emergency and non-emergency response coverage. The officers and members of the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department put in countless hours responding to incidents, attending training sessions, meetings, outreach events and show their dedication to provide the highest level of protection possible.

As part of the 2024-2027 executed Interlocal Agreement between the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department and the Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners, the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department is participating in this County Funded Stipend Program and as such will be funded $7,500 annually for this paid per call stipend program.

Guidelines

• Each member of the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department is eligible to participate in the stipend program and participation is voluntary.

• Any member wishing to participate must complete a W-9 form that will be submitted to the Gadsden County Fire Coordinator to be filed with the appropriate County Department.

• Each certified member that participates in the stipend program will receive $30.00 per dispatched response. Each non-certified member that participates in the stipend program will receive $20.00 per dispatched response. Stipends will be paid to each member in the program, by check from Gadsden County, on a quarterly basis.

  • Participants will be responsible for paying the appropriate Federal taxes annually.

• All reports that verify personnel participation in response activities will be reviewed by the Chief Officers prior to the submittal of the quarterly call roster and reports to the Gadsden County Fire Coordinator.

• Once the Department’s allotment of $7,500 is reached there will not be any further stipend checks issued regardless of the number of responses that our members respond to.

Run Reports

• A run report must be completed for every incident that the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department is dispatched to.

  • Credit for an incident response will be given to personnel who respond to the scene via apparatus from the fire station or by POV. Credit is also given to those who respond to the station to stand by provided these personnel remain at the station until units return to the station or are released by the MPVFD Officer In Charge (OIC).

  • Personnel should make sure to check in with the MPVFD OIC to be added to our report.

    • This can be done via the radio (if assigned), in person (on scene), GroupMe chat or E-Dispatches response reporting tool.

• Personnel not checking in, signing in or completing the required documentation will result in those individuals not getting credit for their activity. In these cases, only the Fire Chief can provide the credit to the individual and authorize an update as appropriate.

• Personnel that are assigned to the Reserve Roster are not eligible to receive a stipend as part of this program.

• Members that are active on the roster(s) of another Department that participates in the Gadsden County Stipend Program will not be eligible to receive a stipend for a response where the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department and that other department(s) are on scene together.

  • This is considered “double dipping” and is not permitted by order of the Gadsden County Emergency Services.