Starting Pay for South Carolina Firefighters to Increase by more than $10,000 in New Budget – Firefighter Overtime Update

The James Island Fire Department has approved a hefty pay increase for its firefighters in a newly adopted 2025 budget. This significant increase in starting firefighter pay follows a public information campaign begun by James Island’s firefighters over the past several months. The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness and public support for the firefighters’ low wages. The pay raise will raise teh starting pay for firefighters to just over $48,000 per year. This represents an increase of more than $10,000.

James Island firefighters’ starting pay lagged behind neighboring departments and according to the firefighters created significant challenges related to recruitment and retention. This combination led to significant and unsustainable amounts of overtime. Over the past five years, James Island firefighters starting annual salary remained stagnant at around $36,500. The firefighters cite the starting firefighter pay in the neighboring city of Charleston as a prime example of the pay disparity between area fire departments. The starting firefighter pay in Charleston is around $51,000 per year. As a result of this increase, James Island firefighters’ starting salary ranks as the third highest among the areas six comparable departments. Click here for more on the story from The Post and Courier.

Here is out coverage on this story from May, 2024.