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1. PURPOSE STATEMENT
The purpose of this policy is to provide the framework and guidelines for consistent
application of honorarium payments to individuals who volunteer to serve on Salisbury
Fire Rescue, based on a percentage-based approach that can account for different
honorarium budgets year-over-year.
The volunteer firefighters play a crucial role in the community and the municipality
recognizes the importance of these volunteers as they as they play an important part in
the safety and well-being of the community.
2. APPLICATION
This Policy applies to all volunteer Members of Salisbury Fire Rescue and does not
apply to Town employees. These honorariums are distributed based on annual budget
approved by council, pursuant to the terms of this Policy.
3. DEFINITIONS
- "Chief" means Salisbury Fire Rescue ("SFR") active Chief or delegate, as
appointed by Council;
- "Chief Administrative Officer" means the head of the municipal administration.
The individual is the only employee who reports directly to Council ("CAO");
- "Extra Responsibilities" means certain tasks, roles, or responsibilities that may
be assigned to Members throughout the year, including but not limited to:
truck/vehicle maintenance, truck selection committees, training committees, or
other roles within the Department, assigned and deemed to be extra
responsibilities for the purposes of this Policy, at the discretion of the Chief;
- "Firefighter" refers to the individual serving SFR at any rank;
POLICY
Department:
Salisbury Fire Department
SFR HONORARIUM POLICY
Effective Date: October 16, 2024
Last Reviewed Date: September 19, 2024
- "Honorarium" refers to ex-gratia payment made to a person for services
provided in a volunteer capacity to recognize and acknowledge the contribution
of gratuitous services to the Salisbury Fire Rescue and the Town of Salisbury;
- "Member" means an individual who serves in a capacity with Salisbury Fire
Rescue, including but not necessarily limited to active Firefighters on the
Department (e.g.: Chaplain);
- "SFR" means Salisbury Fire Rescue.
4. ANNUAL HONORAIUM DISTRIBUTION
The honorarium is calculated on an annual basis using two components:
1. A percentage amount of the approved annual honorarium budget is distributed to
Firefighters based on rank and responsibilities. These percentage amounts are
identified in Section 5 of this Policy. Certain Firefighters or Members serving with
the Department may have an honorarium limited to the role-based premium and
shall not receive an attendance-based honorarium (ie: Chief).
2. The remaining annual honorarium budget is divided based on a point system.
Points are calculated based on dispatched calls and training for the calendar
year, as of October 31. Points are calculated as follows:
o Each call responded is worth one (1) point.
o Each training session attended is worth four (4) points.
The total amount of points accrued by all Firefighters is the total amount of points
for the Department. The remaining honorarium budget is then distributed with the
same distribution percentage as individual Firefighter points in relation to the
points of all Firefighters.
o Example:
- $10,000 is the remaining honorarium amount, after rank-based
premiums are distributed.
- The total amount of points of all Firefighters in a year is 1000. An
individual Firefighter has 50 points.
- The individual Firefighter would get 5% (50/1000) of the remaining
honorarium budget, being $500.
5. Role-Based Premiums
The Honorariums for role-based premiums are distributed as follows:
Rank
Eligible for
Points System in
Addition to Role-
Based Premium
Percentage
Amount of Annual
Honorarium
Budget
Chief/Deputy Chief
NO
10.0%
Captain
YES
2.5%
Lieutenant
YES
2.5%
Chaplain
YES
1.0%
Retired Officer
YES
1.0%
Firefighter
YES
0.0%
Extra Responsibilities
NO
0.5%
The total percentage for role-based premiums noted above are distributed as-noted
above to each Member with those roles. For example, if there are four (4) captains, 10%
of the honorarium budget is distributed to Captains (4 x 2.5%).
In the event of appointments mid-year, the responsibilities are considered to have
occurred as of the start of the year and are not prorated.
Extra responsibility percentage honorariums are provided per-responsibility as assigned
by the Chief. For example, if a Member is on two committees, they receive 1% (0.5%
per extra responsibility) for this contribution.
6. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The policy requires the commitment of all stakeholders. The roles and responsibilities of
the Council, municipal staff, and Salisbury Fire Rescue related to the Honorarium Policy
are described below:
Municipal Council
- Council approves the honorarium budget on an annual basis during budget
deliberations.
Chief Administrative Officer
- The CAO resolves any questions and/or disputes related to the
distribution/allocation of the annual honorarium, at the request of the Chief.
Fire Chief
- Calculates the honorarium amount for each firefighter, based on the terms of this
Policy.
- Provides honorariums to Clerk/Treasurer and CAO for approval and
disbursement.
Clerk/Treasurer
- Deposits honorarium by December 15 of each calendar year.
- Processes electronic T4s by the last day of February following the calendar year
to which the information return applies, pursuant to Canada Revenue Agency
requirements.
Firefighters
- Read, understand, and respect this policy.
- Provide any updated banking information to the Clerk/Treasurer for proper
processing of the Honorariums.