Many Raleigh police officers and firefighters say they can’t afford to live in the city they serve and protect, and they are blaming the city’s pay structure.
The starting salary of $33,654 for Raleigh firefighters ranks far below neighboring areas of Wake Forest and Morrisville. First responders say young recruits are getting trained in Raleigh and then moving to another town where they can make more money.
“They can come here, get all their training and certifications, stay for the minimum time the city requires so they don’t have to pay back a fee then go to another department making $4,000, $5,000, $6,000 more,” said Professional Firefighters Association President Keith Wilder.
Officials said this trend will leave Raleigh at a safety disadvantage if it continues.
“We hear all the time employees are the backbone of Raleigh’s great government, employees are the backbone of what makes this system work so efficiently in how we are able to do more with less. We’ll be the first ones to agree with that, but people are tired of getting gold stars on their spelling test.