On Monday, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board of Directors unanimously agreed to extend the contract of fire Chief Brian Helmick. Under the agreement, Helmick will serve as fire chief through July 1, 2022.
Helmick was first hired in March of 2016 where he accepted a 1-year contract on an interim basis. He was ultimately hired in October as permanent chief at a salary of just $126,670. According to Board president Brian Oftedal, the salary is nowhere close to where they needed to be but will get them closer to where they should be.
Helmick will also receive 20-hours of vacation each month with a maximum accrual of 480-hours each. He also has 100 hours per year of administrative leave. There is also the ability to take advantage of tuition reimbursement of $4,000 annually for graduate-level coursework