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Page 12 <br />1 skills. HFD is the only department in the State that <br />2 staffs and manages the paramedic -based Emergency <br />3 Medical Services program as part of a paid work force <br />4 of 530 personnel dispersed throughout 19 fire stations <br />5 in the community. HFD is considered a combination <br />6 department that includes a volunteer firefighter <br />7 program housed in 20 volunteer stations with <br />8 approximately 130 volunteer firefighters. <br />9 Additionally, the department has rescue, hazardous <br />10 materials, water rescue, ocean safety, aviation, <br />11 wildland fire, prevention and inspection, training and <br />12 community paramedicine programs. The department's <br />13 response area is larger than all of the other fire <br />14 departments in the State combined, almost the size of <br />15 the State of Connecticut. Through the first nine <br />16 months of this year, HFD has already responded to <br />17 18,630 calls, a 5.3 percent increase from the <br />18 comparable period last year. <br />19 I realize that the Salary Commission only <br />20 sets the pay for the chief and the deputy chief, but <br />21 the problem goes deeper than that, and the current and <br />22 future health of the department is dependent on <br />23 adequately compensated, highly skilled individuals in <br />24 leadership positions. <br />25 The salary information you received for <br />ISLAND COURT REPORTING & TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES <br />(808) 933-9800 <br />