Firefighters call on Charlotte to approve better pay, affordable benefits

CHARLOTTE — Members of the Charlotte Fire Department say their starting pay is lower than a police officer’s, and now these firefighters are fighting for fair pay, fair treatment, and more affordable health insurance.

The Charlotte Firefighters Association had members and supporters show up as a unified force at Monday night’s city council meeting to push for those three things.

Firefighters line up at Monday night's city council meeting in Charlotte to call for better pay

They say public safety in Charlotte is entering into a crisis.

“We’re the ones that answer ensure safety and protection of life. When 911 is dialed tonight, however, you council members are 911 -- we are calling you for help,” said Mark Wilson with the Charlotte Firefighters Association.

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Their main requests include:

Healthcare cost relief in this year’s budget
Pay parity with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which was promised in 2023
Approval of five modified-duty positions, which the union says should allow firefighters with service-related medical conditions to continue serving CFD instead of being forced to retire

Mike Feneis, the president of the Charlotte Firefighters Association, says members put their bodies and lives on the line.

“Firefighting is physically demanding and inherently dangerous,” Feneis said. “Our members experience light of duty, injuries, cardiac conditions and occupational illnesses after years of exposure, some are medically removed from riding the apparatus under NFPA 1582 through no fault of their own. Modified duty positions allow these firefighters to continue to contribute in essential roles such as training, logistics, inspections and operational support while they recover and work towards returning to full duty.”

Councilwoman Dante Anderson, the chair of the safety committee, said the city needs to seriously consider this.

“We need to lean into this more. I don’t want to leave our fire, sworn fire officers behind,” Anderson said. “As we grow and continue to advance to be a top 10 city in the United States of America, we want to make sure that our fire officers are there with us.”

The firefighters’ association says these pay issues are also hurting the effort to recruit more help. That’s similar to the worries of the Salisbury Firefighters Union, which Channel 9 reported on last week.

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