Local 668, the Professional Fire Fighters of Durham, is an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedic of North Carolina (PFFPNC). Local 668 operates as an advocate for its members. Our mission is to encourage a safe and positive work environment through healthy relationships amongst fire service personnel and the leadership of Durham city and county officials.
Local 668 pushes for budgeting and legislation that helps our members, and all Durham fire fighters, do the job more safely and efficiently. At the local level, the union is currently pushing for an increased budget for cancer prevention and gross decontamination, while at the state level we have been heavily involved with PFFPNC’s legislative push for the recognition of some cancers being job-related. All local members are also entitled the a wide-range of assistance offered by the IAFF, including natural disaster relief, PTSD and substance abuse support, and aid with cancer treatment.
As a chapter of the IAFF, Local 668 operates through an elected executive board, which allows the decision-making to be steered by the members. There are bi-monthly member meetings, and opportunities to serve on various committees. This creates the possibility to work with the community as well as local and state elected officials, and a platform to create real change in the Durham Fire Department.
Every single day, alongside our International (IAFF) and state (PFFPNC) affiliates, Local 668 is committed to safety, work conditions, compensation and much more. At the direction of our membership, and with state and international support, Local 668 works hard to oppose legislation and changes in fire suppression that result in a negative impact on our working conditions.
Fire Pay Update
The City of Durham has recently completed a city-wide compensation study. While we are pleased that the city is taking action to address our pay concerns, we have also done our own research and want to share our recommendations publicly.
As you can see in the below graph, from 2003-2016, our firefighter starting pay (that is, the hourly wage for a firefighter upon graduation from the fire academy) roughly kept pace with the City of Durham's "livable wage," which it pays to all city employees with the exception of Police and Fire. It was only in 2016 that the City excluded Police and Fire from the Livable Wage ordinance and we have seen a steady devaluing of our firefighters' time since that decoupling.
Local 668 is advocating for a return to the livable wage on an hourly basis for firefighters. Since we work an average of 56 hours per week and we project that the livable wage will reach $19.30/hour in the coming fiscal year, our starting firefighter pay should be $56,201 upon graduation from the fire academy. Our proposed livable wage pay matrix is below.
Local 668's pay committee requested extensive data from 11 comparable cities via the Freedom of Information Act to find what the market dictates is each rank's minimum and maximum. While our suggested recruit pay of $53,524 is slightly above the market average, it would give us a recruiting advantage and help the department attract top talent.
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Professional Fire Fighters of Durham Charitable Fund is a non-profit fund to benefit the members as well as the community we serve. Through fundraising and donations, we are able to help fire fighters in Durham as well as firefighters locally and across the state during a grave loss, natural disaster, or unforeseen illness. At the discretion of our Charitable Fund Executive Board, these funds may be used for events that help in the community.