Firefighters in DeKalb County are generally paid less than their peers in the metro Atlanta area, according to a pay comparison presented to county commissioners as they're considering whether to give public safety employees a raise.
Entry-level firefighters earn an average of $33,502 in DeKalb, which is about 13 percent less than in other departments. DeKalb firefighters at the next pay grade — those with at least a year of experience — make an average of $42,565, which is about 4 percent below the market.
The DeKalb Commission will decide whether to give fire, police and other employees a raise when they vote on the county's $1.31 billion budget for 2016 on Thursday.
Firefighters seeking a pay increase told county commissioners this month that DeKalb is losing employees to nearby jurisdictions. Already far this year, about a dozen firefighters have resigned, said Tom Burrell, secretary for DeKalb Professional Firefighters Local 1492.
“We firmly believe that pay is the main issue that is driving the exodus to other departments,” Burrell said at a county commission meeting. “It is time to remind these men and women that you value the hard work they do, the dangerous work they do, but most importantly they do every single day across this community.”
The pay analysis, presented to the commission by the DeKalb Human Resources Department, showed how much public safety employees in the county earn compared with the city of Atlanta and Clayton, Cobb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
For DeKalb police officers, entry-level officers receive salaries averaging $38,626, which is lower than the other Atlanta-area jurisdictions. But Master Police Officers, who generally have several years of experience, make an average of $51,307 in DeKalb compared to $50,171 in the metro Atlanta area.
All DeKalb employees received a 3 percent raise in 2014, but before then they hadn’t received an increase since 2007. Police and fire employees also received a one-time 3 percent bonus in 2013.
For more details about metro Atlanta police and fire pay rates, please visit http://on-ajc.com/1QbKHL8.
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