Yuma Fire recruiting while council hashes out budget

The Yuma Fire Department is looking for potential candidates to join its team.

The recruitment period comes just a few months after the Yuma City Council committed to moving forward with pay raises for first responders and other city employees.

The city council has been hashing out the upcoming budget that includes those pay raises. Some of those talks have included a possible property tax spike.

The proposed budget this year would raise property taxes from 2.2747 percent to 2.3185 percent, according to the City of Yuma.

Budget talks continued during Tuesday’s worksession.

Council weighed the options of either raising property taxes or cutting services potentially from Parks and Recreation programs in order to adjust to the $2.9 million worth of raises.

“I just don’t believe we need a property tax increase at this time to fund the pay increases that the council approved earlier this year,” Councilmember Jacob Miller.
Councilmember Edward Thomas added to the discussion.
“I’m not a tax increase kinda guy, but at the same time running my own household budget, I don’t run my budget so close to the red that if we have an emergency we have to default on paying our mortgage,” said Councilmember Thomas.

The proposed increases to first responder salaries are not included in the salary listed now, which is $42,746 per year.

Candidates must have all the necessary training and qualifications to take on the job.

Cody Pelfrey is a firefighter and paramedic and has been with Yuma Fire Department (YFD) for four years and explained what it took for him to get the title he holds today.

“I started off at the AWC [Arizona Western College] academy and then that took a year and a half between the fire academy and the EMT class and then it took me three hiring processes to get hired here,” said Pelfrey.

Yuma Fire said several of its employees actually serve as instructors at the AWC public institute.

Pelfrey advised those who are hoping to become a firefighter to never give up, even if you don’t get hired right away.

The recruitment period ends on May 28.