Jeannette fire Chief Bill Frye is seeking a higher wage for firefighters who cover overnight shifts.
Frye is asking city council to consider raising the hourly rate from $8.25 to $12 in an effort to encourage firefighters to spend the night at the fire station. They respond to calls alongside one of four full-time paid firefighters who are always on duty.
Late last week, there were 18 overnight shifts in April that weren’t scheduled to be covered by a second firefighter, he said.
“This is very dangerous,” Frye said.
Jeannette has Westmoreland County’s only full-time paid fire department. Its call volume has been increasing for the past few years, from 876 in 2021 to 1,153 in 2025. Frye said the department is on track to hit 1,200 calls in 2026.
For the past couple years, the same four firefighters have been working the overnight shifts, referred to as a “bunk shift,” but two have stepped back because of work and personal commitments, he said.
Recently, the full-timers have been left alone at the station overnight because there’s no one available to cover the additional slot.
“The last couple months have been really tough,” Frye said.
Firefighters working overnight typically respond to calls two or three times during a shift. The bunk shift firefighter gets about $46 after taxes at the current rate.
“It’s not worth it for them to be here,” he said.
But Frye hopes an increased rate, which he said would bring in about $30 per night more, will be an incentive, if it’s approved by council.
“I think doing that’s not going to adversely affect our budget,” he said.
Council could consider voting on the request at its April 9 meeting.
