FAIRBURY, NE — The Fairbury City Council taking steps to make it easier for city employees to serve as volunteer firefighters.

"Members of the volunteer fire department, if there is a fire call, while they are doing their city duties can respond to that as long as leaving their current duty would not imperil life," Deputy City Attorney Kurth Brashear said. "We don't want to trade."

Brashear laying out the basics of Resolution 1228. Unanimously passed by the council this week, it makes it clear city employees who are members of Fairbury’s Volunteer Fire Department can respond to emergencies while on the clock.

Fairbury Fire Chief Kenny Krause says currently there is only one city employee on the department. The goal is this improves that number.

"I would hope this would encourage city employees to help us out," Krause said. "The thing with being a city employee is they're usually always within the city limits so when a call comes in, hopefully they'll be somewhat available for us."

The discussion comes after the Rock Creek Fire rocked the county in mid-April. The largest wildfire seen in the county in decades pulled volunteers from their day jobs for multiple days.

Krause told the city council he works for the county and gets great support from them. This resolution sets up a similar system for the city. 

"I just have to let a supervisor know I'm leaving and just like you stated, we don't leave if we're going to cause a problem and we don't if it's going to interrupt the group we're working with," Krause said. "But we just simply let a supervisor know we're leaving and we mark our time sheet with civil leave."

The resolution also says city employees will not be required to take time off for time spent responding to service calls.  Krause thanked the council for considering and passing the resolution.

Below is the full text of Resolution 1228:

TO PERMIT CITY EMPLOYEES TO SERVE AS VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND TO ESTABLISH THE TERMS THEROF. 

WHEREAS, the City of Fairbury (the "City") is served by the Municipal Fire Department, whose members are volunteers; and

WHEREAS, the City encourages its employees, and all citizens of the City, to consider service to the City as a volunteer member of the Municipal Fire Department; and

WHEREAS, in furtherance and support thereof, the City Council ("Council") intends to affirm and clarify its support of City employees serving as volunteer members of the Municipal Fire Department.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Fairbury, Nebraska;

Section 1. City employees who are members of the Municipal Fire Department may, while conducting their duties as City employees, respond to calls for service as a member of the Municipal Fire Department where doing so would not immediately or proximately endanger or place in harm the life of another or cause destruction or damage to property of the City. 

Section 2. City employees responding to a call for service as a member of the Municipal Fire Department while conducting their duties as City employees will not be required to take time off, whether paid or unpaid, during the duration of the call for service. 

Section 3. If City employees subsequently receive compensation or reimbursement for responding to a call of service authorized by this resolution for which they took paid time off, they shall remit same, with endorsement as necessary to the City. 

All other resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.