Somerton-Cocopah firefighters see pay raise

Firefighters in the least paid fire department in the county will officially receive a pay raise.

A fifty-cent raise is effective now as part of the City of Somerton’s newly approved budget, according to The City of Somerton .

“Hopefully as we get raises, it will close that gap and we’ll be able to keep our employees longer,” explained Captain Steven Clark, Somerton-Cocopah Fire Department.
The Somerton-Cocopah Fire Department said it has lost some of its crew to other surrounding departments recently, but Captain Clark keeps coming back.

” The atmosphere. I really like the boys I work with. I love the way the department runs. It’s always a pleasure to come to work, ” said Clark.

Clark has been with the fire department for 15 years and will be feeling an extra fifty cents per hour in his pocket now.

One of his many responsibilities is to train those who join the crew.

” I enjoy that part of the job. Just running calls and stuff like that. Like I’ve said, I’ve been doing this for a long time. ”

This new pay raise gives starting firefighters in the department nearly twelve dollars per hour.