From the Recruitment and Retention Committee: FLSA Bootcamp for Volunteer and Combination Fire Departments

December 18, 2023

Volunteer and combination departments face a host of unique challenges. Volunteerism in and outside the fire service is dwindling. Training and minimum standards are at an all-time high. Recruiting members and keeping them is a nation-wide challenge. And that’s not to mention family obligations, jobs, and other demands that sometimes take priority over the fire department. It’s left many organizations opting to pay members to respond or be available for a shift.

But it’s complicated. This practice begs the question, at what point does a volunteer become an employee?

Employees are entitled to minimum wage for all hours worked including volunteer hours. Then there’s overtime. There’s a lot at stake.

No law impacts fire departments more than the Fair Labor Standards Act, and that’s why the Recruitment and Retention Committee is proud to bring to the South Carolina fire service the FLSA Bootcamp for Volunteer and Combination Fire Departments with speaker Curt Varone.

This day-long bootcamp provides leaders of volunteer and combination fire departments with a foundation for understanding the FLSA, focusing on the topics of greatest concern including: what is a volunteer; compensation, benefits, expenses, and nominal fees; compensation for wildland deployments, and more.

This bootcamp is specifically beneficial for fire department management, human resources, legal teams or anyone that deals with compensation, benefits, and expenses, for your department.

We hope to see you at the FLSA Bootcamp for Volunteer and Combination Fire Departments on Friday, February 23, 2024 from 9:30 a.m. -3 p.m. at Saluda Shoals Park—River Center, 5605 Bush River Road, Columbia 29212.