New Incentive For Firefighters Discussed

The City of Cumberland is considering incentives for new hires for the city’s fire department. Newbies who possess valid Maryland Firefighter 1 and EMT or ALS certification would be exempt from the written test portion of the recruitment process and could be eligible for a one-time bonus. Jeff Silka, city administrator said an already trained person would save $9,800 in EMT training costs…

“If you come with an EMT and you don’t have to go through that portion of the academy, you get a $5,000 bonus. We save money, and we also get that person online a lot quicker. At that point, it kind of gives an incentive and we can get people trained quicker.”