From the archive: This story was first published on February 22, 2024.

At their February meeting, the Niceville City Council unanimously approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Fire Fighters Union. 

The Niceville Fire Fighters Union: Local 5301 and city negotiators discussed the union contract for several months. It was a big topic of conversation and the subject of a question asked by City Councilman Sal Nodjomian during the hearings to decide whom to hire as the next city manager of Niceville back in the Summer of 2023. 

Deitch noted that they met at least once per week, “to knock through this thing,” Deitch said, “It was professional and disciplined.” 

Deitch added that they talked about many items at issue – including the color of department-issue sweatshirts. “I believe we’ve come to a mutually beneficial agreement for both the city and the fire department.”

What’s in the Contract?

Plenty of fascinating tidbits pepper the contract – but overall, it’s your standard 50ish-page union contract. Here are some of the highlights:

• Firefighters will get the same 7% pay increase as the other city employees who are not in a union got last October. Because they are in a union, they did not automatically get the rise – they had to negotiate for it. 
• All firefighters included in the union contract must have their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certifications or get them in the first 18 months of their employment with the city of Niceville. 
• Incentive pay for degrees/certifications: firefighters with an Associate’s degree will get an extra $600 annually. Those with a Bachelor’s degree will get an additional $720 annually. Firefighters with paramedic certifications will receive an additional $2.74 per hour. 
• The fire chief can keep people on for overtime to satisfy minimum manning requirements. (This is pretty standard)
• Firefighters get eight hours of vacation they can use within a week of their birthdays. 
• Firefighters earn 2.5 times their regular pay when they work on holidays. 
• Firefighters who stay with the department for 20+ years can remain on the city’s insurance plan after they retire. 
• The city pays for an insurance policy worth twice their annual salary, to a maximum of $150,000 per policy. 
• Annual leave is converted to PTO. 
• The city will pay for classes they require the firefighters to take. 
• Firefighters will work 48 hours on, 96 hours off rotation. 
• The contract is good through 2027. 

Local 5301, a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters, is the only union organization representing City of Niceville Employees.