On the fire side, Resolution 2026-79 adds five part-time employees after background checks. They will not receive benefits. Shifts are posted on a calendar — typically 12-hour days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. when a full-time member is off — and part-timers are paid only for the hours they work. Starting rates are $21.22 an hour for paramedics and $19.10 for EMTs. New part-timers are being asked to take at least two shifts a month.
Kotter said some names already on the roster rarely sign up, so the published list overstates how many people are actually available. The extra hires are also part of a longer conversation with Montgomery County Memorial Hospital about ambulance transfers. The department staffs three-person crews with a two-person minimum. A transfer would pull an ambulance and leave the city short for a 911 call unless a fourth person is on duty or a hospital nurse with a state “nurse exemption” can ride. None of that agreement is in front of council yet. Tuesday’s vote only puts more qualified people on the bench so the city can say yes if terms are reached.
