ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County firefighters in the union have been working without a pay raise for more than two years, as contract negotiations drag on between their union and Orange County leaders. Tuesday, the Board of County Commissioners could end the stalemate by taking a final vote on what the disputed terms of the contract will be through October 2027.

What You Need To Know

Union leaders claim firefighters are leaving the Orange County Fire Rescue Department for better pay at other agencies

County leaders say they are offering the highest pay raise the fire fighters have seen in many years

County Commissioners could vote to break the impasse Tuesday afternoon after hearing from both sides

Union leaders say they represent 1,300 fire fighters, commanders and other workers who they claim have been working without a pay raise since October 2023. Union leaders say they need better pay and health benefits, while county leaders insist their compensation offer is fair.

Firefighters are training at Orange County’s state-of-the-art training center in east Orange County to respond to almost any emergency residents might call them for. Chris Ritchie is President of the Orange County Firefighters Association, the union that represents them. Ritchie says many firefighters are taking that great training to other departments.

“We don’t have a hiring problem. We have a retention problem, and that goes back to predictable movement through the pay scale and benefits,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie explained that many firefighters are leaving the Orange County Fire Rescue Department for higher pay at other agencies.

He explained where the agency’s pay is in the current contract.

“As we sit right now, we are 35 to 45 percent behind our comparable throughout the state,” he said.

The current disputed contract covers October 2024 thru October 2027. Ritchie says the county’s latest proposal would offer union employees a 35 percent pay raise over three years, but Ritchie claims that would still leave their salaries 10 to 15 percent lower than comparable fire departments around Florida.  

The Orange County Fire Rescue Department tells us the current starting pay for a new firefighter is $47,245 per year.

The disputed contract being negotiated would pay a starting firefighter $59,072 with the chance to move up to $62,025 after they make it through a ten week orientation program, according to O.C.F.R.

Ritchie says retention challenges raise public safety issues.

“When you have a fire truck that shows up on a scene where the most experienced person may have six years of experience on, that’s a safety problem for not only my members but for the public,” he said.

The Orange County Fire Rescue Department said that 175 of its unionized workers have left the department over the last 19 months, and on exit surveys 41 percent said they left for other jobs and 59 percent left for a variety of other reasons.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings says the county’s compensation offer for the disputed contract is fair.

“We have on behalf of the county offered a substantial pay increase to the firefighters. A pay increase of beyond what they have ever seen,” Demings said.

Tuesday morning, county commissioners will have a public comment period where folks can weigh in.  Some firefighters say they will attend with their families to explain why they want pay raises for their family budgets.

Tuesday afternoon, union representatives and county staff working on contract negotiations will each make full presentations to county commissioners, who could then vote on terms of the final contract, which will be in place through October, 2027.