Chief Rod Bordner is telling city elected officials his crew of firefighters and paramedics sincerely want to perform their jobs.
But for them to continue responding to fires, traffic wrecks and medical emergencies, it’s going to require additional job incentives and better perks, according to Bordner.
Bordner has watched crew members leave in recent years to take jobs with other departments where there are lucrative packages, such as pensions in retirement, vacation pay and paid sick days. Louisville doesn’t offer those benefits and it’s hurting the department’s retention ability.
“It is human nature to go someplace to get a job where you can provide for your family and get a pension,” Bordner said at a recent City Council work session. “We can’t afford not to do anything. We are talking about the safety of our citizens. We are talking about the safety of our firefighters. There is no retirement in place except for Social Security. They could go to another fire department and get a full range of benefits.”