ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — After two years of negotiations, the Orange County Commission voted unanimously this week to end the contract stalemate with Orange County Fire Rescue.

Proponents of the move say it will give one of the biggest fire departments in the state a better chance to retain its firefighters.

What You Need To Know

Orange County firefighters union representatives say they are excited to move forward after a Orange County commissioners voted this week to approve proposals for wages, health insurance and a step increase program

Commissioners unanimously voted to approve their proposals, which proponents say will help ensure Orange County can retain firefighters

If ultimately approved, the contract would increase wages by around 25%
A final contract will still need to come back before the county commission at a later date

For the last two years, Orange County firefighters have been working without a pay raise as negotiations dragged on.

But after Orange County City commissioners voted Tuesday to support their proposals about health care funds and protections for tenured workers, they now feel excited about the future of the department.

“Orange County has a program, which is great. We don’t have a hiring problem, we have a retention problem,” said Orange County Firefighter Association IAFF 2057 President Chris Ritchie.

Over the years, he said that wages in Orange County have fallen 40% to 45% behind counterparts across the state. That, Ritchie argued, is why around 175 union workers have left the department over the last 19 months.

“So, at the end of three years they have their EMT (certification). They have their fire standards, and they have their paramedic, and they have at least three years of experience,” Ritchie said. “They can then go to any other department of our comparable throughout the state, making 10 to 15,000 dollars more in year one at that department that they were making here in year three.”

So, to combat this, Ritchie said he worked with the Fire Rescue leadership to ensure they can focus on benefits that matter.

Those include increasing starting salaries and providing a dedicated health insurance trust for firefighters, instead of having them under the county’s medical plan.

“We’re finally going to be able to provide the health care tailored to what firefighters need,” Ritchie said. “And ultimately, this is going to benefit the taxpayers, as you have more highly trained, more skilled and more experienced people that stay here in Orange County. And they’re going to live longer because they’re going to have a better health care.”

And after hours of public comment and negotiations, the Orange County Commission voted to approve the union’s asks.

“It says, ‘We see you. And we’re here fighting for you,'” Orange County District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe said. “It was a unanimous vote, and that’s the best thing that happened. Every single one of the commissioners and the mayor said, ‘Yes, we’re going to do this.’ But also, what it does is starts setting a standard that they don’t have to go and fight for those crumbs that they’ve been fighting for, for two years.”

One of the biggest parts of Tuesday’s vote is the step increase program as they look to make sure that during contract talks firefighters are still receiving a 5% wage increase and not falling further behind.

“With the current county commission, the current senior staff that we have, once we put this contract to bed I am excited about the future that Orange County Fire Rescue can provide the citizens of Orange County,” Ritchie said.

Tuesday’s vote does move negotiations forward, but a final contract will still need to come back before the County Commission at a later date.