The Kern County Fire Department is losing firefighters to other agencies because of low pay, according to the Kern County Firefighters Association.
A tweet sent out earlier this week announced that two firefighters had resigned to go to other fire departments, and that a total of 41 firefighters were lost for a similar reason since 2014. The union says losing those firefighters can come at the cost of taxpayer dollars.
164 years of collective experience lost, roughly equating to $17.8 million in lost monies due to training and retention that it takes to replace those individuals," said Dave Nelson, the President of the union.
He says Kern firefighters make 25 to 30 percent less than other nearby agencies.