Stafford County will extend coronavirus hazard pay to public safety volunteers for their service during the coronavirus pandemic.
The county’s fire and rescue department found 75 fire and rescue volunteers and 15 members for its Community Emergency Response Team who are eligible for hazard pay and will receive the payments.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been very difficult on everyone. First responders have been especially hard hit because they deal with the virus 24/7, both at home and when they’re on duty. Our volunteer firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians serve Stafford County proudly,” said Joseph Cardello, chief of Stafford County Fire and Rescue.
Those volunteers will be paid between $75 to $600 in hazard pay depending on how many hours they volunteered during the same time period that had been established for the county employees. The department reported that these volunteers clocked in 18,000 hours of service which Chief Cardello praised the volunteers for stepping up to aid the community during the opening months of the pandemic.
The collective amount of $13,050 will be paid to the volunteers out of the County’s general fund since restrictions prevent them from being paid from federal CARES Act funding.
“We felt that it was appropriate to recognize them and to show our appreciation through a one-time stipend. We are very thankful for our dedicated volunteers,” said Chief Cardello.
The county’s sheriff’s office said none of its volunteers would be eligible for the program.
At the July 7 Board of Supervisors meeting, hazard pay was approved for employees that had worked on the county’s response to the pandemic from March 18 to May 15. The rate of hazard pay for employees was approved at $4 per hour and was funded through the CARES Act.
After this initial pay wave, the county looked into the possibility of offering hazard pay to volunteers working with the county sheriff’s and the fire and rescue departments.
This cohort was previously considered not eligible for such payment due to restrictions of the CARES Act.
The Board voted unanimously 6-0 to approve the hazard pay.
