N.C. town makes fire chief job a full-time position

By Ryan Hutchins

SOUTHERN SHORES, N.C.

Starting Tuesday, the Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department will have a full-time chief who is paid.

The work is nothing new, according to Bob Harvey, who holds the position. He said he already puts in full-time hours and that the volunteers voted to give him the pay.

The department is an independent, not-for-profit organization, but Southern Shores provides funding with tax dollars.

It received $291,400 last year, according to Town Manager Charlie Read. The fire department initially asked for an additional $67,200 in the upcoming budget, then submitted an

official request for a $50,200 increase. But the department will get no increase in the 2008-09 budget, which goes into effect Tuesday, Read said.

Harvey wouldn't say Wednesday how much he will be paid. "What my board chose when they offered me a job is their business," he said.

Read said the amount was presented at a Town Council meeting as $70,000.

The manager initially opposed paying any department officers. An e-mail he sent out last month to try to dispel "rumors" that the department would be receiving less money in the coming year also mentioned the then-possible move to paying some fire department officials.

"The town manager and some members of council believe... that such a plan is detrimental to morale, recruiting and retention of volunteer members of the fire service," the e-mail stated.

Read said a contract has been negotiated since then.

"We're very proud of our firefighters," he said.

The one-year contract includes a provision establishing a new advisory board. The board, which will include two town appointees, two department appointees and two citizens, will be "charged with the task of reviewing, investigating and reporting about the future of the firefighting services."

The fire department initially presented a seven-year contract that removed the town's right to claim the department's assets if it ever decided to create a municipal fire service. The newer contract includes that right.

Ryan Hutchins, (252) 441-1627, ryan.hutchins@pilotonline.com