The Board of Commissioners voted last Tuesday to award a pay increase for the field operators of Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services.
“It was good to see the Board of Commissioners supporting the public safety and the fire department,” said Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services Director Danny Thompson. “We’ve always had a good, strong working relationship with this Board,” he added.
The pay increase comes on the heels of an emotional presentation to the Board of Commissioners June 20 work session, in which Thompson emphasized the struggles of maintaining his staff while not being able to offer them competitive pay.
In this presentation, Thompson revealed that in the past year, the department has received fewer than six applications for the firefighter/paramedic positions, while during the same time span losing 12 employees to other counties or hospitals.