NJ Town Approves Annual Stipend for Rescue Squad Volunteers

(BUDD LAKE, N.J.) —  The Mount Olive Township Council approved annual stipends for volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians in two communities on Sept. 16 in the hopes of an influx of new members.

Mount Olive, a municipality made up of Budd Lake and Flanders, relies on a force of over 100 volunteers. The Council is adding the stipends to encourage more people to join its rescue squad and commit to membership.

Past recruitment incentives like the Length of Service Award with a bonus, have not been sufficient to maintain community involvement, according to Mount Olive’s Business Administrator, Andrew Tatarenko. “Every year during budget discussions, our fire and EMS director always brings up the fact that it’s getting harder to recruit people,” Tatarenko told The Click.  “I think that’s just a national trend, that volunteerism isn’t what it used to be anymore.”

The stipends will range from $250 to $1,000 depending on the volunteer’s position, how many calls they respond to, the number of meetings they attend, and the amount of training they receive each year, according to minutes of the meeting. The adoption of the stipend falls under the Faulkner Act, a state law which mandates that the town review salaries for employees and fixed sums for volunteers annually. 

The half dozen community members who attended the 20-minute council meeting were satisfied with the results of the vote. Tatarenko said the additional funds would come from the township’s Emergency Response Billing Program with no impact on taxpayers. “Years ago, we did develop a billing program where residents and non-residents are billed for certain fire responses, so we’ve been collecting money every year,” he explained.