The Hall County Board of Commissioners has increased the incentive for all paramedics within Hall County Fire Services to $10,000 a year.
“This action by the board will help us recruit and retain highly-qualified and highly-trained paramedics in order to meet the health needs of the Hall County community,” said Hall County Fire Chief Chris Armstrong.
Previously, Hall County Fire Services personnel received a 7.5 percent increase in pay to serve the County as paramedics.
“Although that was a step in the right direction, we felt like we needed to do more,” said Armstrong.
According to the fire chief, more than 70 percent of all responses his department makes are for emergency medical services (EMS). With traditional fire calls decreasing and EMS calls continuing to rise, Armstrong said the need to provide those critical services is paramount.
“The Board of Commissioners recognizes that we need to invest in individuals who are providing the most utilized services across our community and due to the current nature of fire and emergency services, those individuals are paramedics,” he said.
The pay increase will go into effect beginning next week.
“We want to thank the Board of Commissioners and County Administration for allowing us to speak with them about some of the challenges we face and for coming up with some creative solutions to help us provide best in class medical care to our citizens,” said Armstrong.
Anyone interested in working as a paramedic with Hall County Fire Services can apply at hallcounty.org/jobs. The position requires three weeks of training for certified applicants or 40 weeks of training for non-certified applicants, who spend 20 weeks at the fire academy and 20 weeks at Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) school, all of which is paid for by Hall County Government.
“We believe in providing our citizens with the best emergency medical care,” Hall County Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Higgins said. “We believe this increase in compensation reflects our deeply held admiration and appreciation for those who choose to serve Hall County in this capacity.”
To watch a video message from Chief Armstrong regarding the paramedic pay increase, click here.