North Liberty to pay firefighters per call-out

NORTH LIBERTY (AP) ? Volunteer firefighters in North Liberty soon will be paid when they respond to calls.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the pay-per-call program for the 33 volunteer members of the North Liberty Fire Department. The proposal replaces an annual stipend program.

The program will take $63,000 annually from the department?s equipment reserve to pay the volunteers. The current stipend program for volunteers starts at $500 annually and increases based on rank.

The per-call payments will be made quarterly and will range between $7 and $8 per call and will increase based on years of service, credentials and job duties.

The volunteers will be paid for emergency calls, training and public education events.