Fire contract OKed with 8.5 percent raise

Other changes to the union contract include increasing the firefighters' co-pays for prescription drugs with the difference to be covered by a Health Reimbursement Account. Both the fire department and township will each save $12,500 annually because of this change.

"Everybody has to be on the same program," Spisz explained. "So, the township board and the township employees will also have to change to the same program."

Full-time firefighters who choose not to take health insurance through the department will be paid 50 percent of the $7,835 annual premium cost that the township would have paid to cover a single person. This represents an increase from the 40 percent payment under the previous contract.

What didn't change is the fact that full-time firefighters will continue to pay 5 percent of their health insurance premiums and do so for the next three years. They've been paying 5 percent since Jan. 1. 2012.

Instead of being paid a $750 lump sum uniform allowance every January, beginning next year, the fire department will provide a uniform bank allowance of $750 per union firefighter and any unused portion of that annual allowance will be considered a savings for the department.

Effective this year, the township will begin providing dry cleaning machine services for all full-time firefighter uniforms.

The township also agreed to a one-time purchase of Class A dress uniforms for all firefighters with at least five years of full-time service to the department.

"(They give us) a more professional look when we go to events," said Balinski, who noted the dress uniform symbolizes they're "a part of that brotherhood" of firefighters.

"It's customary that Class A (dress) uniforms are given to firefighters," Curtis said. "They attend funerals and ceremonies to help build pride in the community and pay homage to fallen firefighters. It helps them represent our community with dignity."

"I equated it to my kid (who's in the U.S. Air Force)," he added. "They gave him a full set of uniforms – one for battle, one for dress and one for casual."

Curtis noted the savings from the prescription co-pay change and the new uniform bank allowance should cover the cost of the dress uniforms and dry cleaning services.

"Should is a good word," he said. "If the savings doesn't cover it, the fire department budget will be impacted."

"We went into it as a cost neutral (change)," Spisz said. "If (the fire union) wanted anything that was a cost increase to the township – that was outside of anything already approved by the board for themselves – it would have to be cost neutral."

In other words, there had to be a corresponding cost savings in one area in order to cover an increase in another area.

Supervisor Bill Dunn thanked the township's bargaining team for "spending all their time fighting these guys tooth-and-nail."

"I'd also like to thank the guys, our firefighters, for doing the same – acting in good faith and coming up with an agreement."