Northampton County Weighs New Incentive Plan to Boost Volunteer Firefighter Ranks

Northampton County officials are considering a new incentive program aimed at giving volunteer firefighters and emergency responders more equitable pay for their service — part of a broader push to address a shortage that local leaders say has little to do with equipment and everything to do with people.

Fire and emergency units in Cape Charles, Cheriton, and Eastville have, for now, adequate trucks, gear, and tools they need. What they don’t have enough of is trained volunteers to staff them.

County Administrator Matt Spuck said the proposed program grew out of one-on-one meetings he held with the county’s fire departments to discuss their needs. One recurring concern: the county’s current incentive, which credits qualified volunteers up to $125 on the personal property tax bill for a vehicle registered in their name, doesn’t help everyone equally. Volunteers without a taxable vehicle see little or no benefit, while those with pricier vehicles get the full credit.

To fix that imbalance, supervisors approved $40,000 during the recent budget process for a revised program. Under the new proposal, the county would count qualified volunteers across all fire and rescue stations and split the funding evenly among them. Each station already files an annual report identifying volunteers who meet participation requirements — responding to calls, helping with fundraisers, and other activities — and the county would use those reports to calculate each station’s share.

As an example, Spuck noted that 100 qualified volunteers would each represent $400 of the county’s $40,000 appropriation. Instead of cutting checks to individual volunteers, the county would send lump payments to each station, which would then decide how to use the money — for direct incentives, recruitment efforts, or retention programs. One station might pay volunteers directly while another might put its share toward a recruitment event.

The board postponed a final vote on the policy to allow more review at its next meeting. Officials noted the current vehicle-tax vouchers must typically be finalized by Sept. 30, but the new funding model would remove the need to tie the incentive to personal property tax bills altogether.

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Wayne Creed

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