On Thursday, Oct. 21, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the International Association of EMT's and Paramedics, the National Association of Government Employees and Services Employees International Union Local 5000.
Effective upon the first full pay cycle following the effective date of this Agreement, the hourly base wage rate for newly hired and existing employees in each bargaining unit classification covered by the CBA will be as follows:
| Classification |
Current Rate |
New Base Rate |
| EMT Full-time |
$15.04 |
$18.33 |
| Paramedic Full-time |
$19.19 |
$25.32 |
| Storekeeper Full-time |
$12.99 |
$15.22 |
| EMT Relief |
$15.04 |
$20.24 |
| Paramedic Relief |
$19.19 |
$27.41 |
"I want to commend Director Eric Gilmore and Director Dave Torsell on moving quickly to ensure we did not see critically low staffing levels within this crucial public safety department of Escambia County," said Escambia County District 4 Commissioner and Chairman Robert Bender. "To make this a first-class organization, you have to support the organization by being willing to approve what is needed. The Board took the correct action today in making sure that we can continue to improve the services of EMS, along with retaining and recruiting employees."
Effective upon the first full pay cycle following the effective date of this Agreement, the hourly base wage rate for each existing full-time employee covered by the CBA shall be increased as follows:
| Classification |
Pay Step |
| EMT Full-time 1-3 years |
+2% increase |
| EMT Full-time 4-6 years |
+4% increase |
| EMT Full-time 7+ years |
+6% increase |
| Paramedics Full-time 1-3 years |
+2% increase |
| Paramedics Full-time 4-6 years |
+4% increase |
| Paramedics Full-time 7+ years |
+6% increase |
| Storekeeper Technician Full-time 1-3 years |
+2% increase |
| Storekeeper Technician Full-time 4-6 years |
+4% increase |
| Storekeeper Technician Full-time 7+ years |
+6% increase |
"While all Public Safety employees are critical to the essential functions of Escambia County, this was needed to be competitive for the wages paid for our paramedics and EMTs throughout the Panhandle," said Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore.
Escambia County Public Safety is responsible for keeping citizens safe from emergencies and both man-made and natural disasters. Its divisions include Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Rescue and Pensacola Beach Lifeguards. For the latest information on emergency management services in Escambia County, residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts on myescambia.com.
Follow Escambia County Public Safety on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: @ECPublicSafety
Twitter: @ECPublicSafety
