Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board Monday, Nov. 13, unanimously approved the 2018 fire territory salary resolution submitted by Fire Chief Mickey Scott.

Next year’s salaries represent a 2 percent increase over 2017 compensation. Longevity pay increased 1 percent.

Full-time employees will be paid the following for 2018:

• Fire chief, $59,441

• Deputy chief, $53,821

• Firefighter/paramedic, $48,206

• Firefighter/EMT-advanced, $46,620

• Firefighter/up to EMT-basic and probationary EMT-P, $45,243

• Firefighter/probationary and up to EMT-A, $41,800

All of the above employees will also receive longevity pay. EMS and shift captains will receive a $2,000 bonus for the year.

Part-time hourly compensation includes:

• Firefighter/paramedic, $16

• Non-firefighter paramedic, $14

• Firefighter/up to EMT-A, $12

• Non-firefighter/up to EMT-A, $10

Each career firefighter will be entitled to 12 hours of paid training time. Every department employee except new hires will receive an $800 clothing allowance, paid in $200 installments each quarter.

New hires will receive a uniform shirt, two department T-shirts, one pair of duty pants and a pair of duty boots.

Township Trustee Barb Griffith presented her monthly financial report. The largest capital outlays for October included $7,500 for cemetery maintenance, $6,000 for lifeguard wages and $2,002.50 in attorney’s fees.

Poor relief expenditures included:

• $1,089.24 for housing

• $2,643.89 for utilities

• $224.84 for food

Fire Chief Mickey Scott reminded township residents to “have their furnaces, fireplaces, etc., inspected for proper operation and to have a carbon monoxide detector in their home if they have any gas appliances or use wood, coal, fuel oil, etc., for heat inside their residence.”

Scott advised to place the carbon monoxide detector near the floor, as carbon monoxide is slightly heavier than air. Smoke detectors, he said, should be placed on or near the ceiling.

Scott also cautioned “anyone who ventures out onto the ice over any body of water to check the thickness of the ice and make sure someone knows their whereabouts and the time they should be returning.” The recommended minimum thickness of ice for foot traffic is 4 inches.

“Be aware of the different aspects of the body of water,” said Scott. “Ice thickness varies greatly when there is moving water below the ice and near seawalls and vegetation.”

The department has a supply of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors available to fire territory residents who cannot afford one.

Detectors may be picked up at either of the territory’s fire stations:

• Fire Station 1, 402 N. Huntington St., Syracuse

• Fire Station 2, 8138 E. McClintic Road, Syracuse

For more information, call the fire department at (574) 457-4100.

The board will next meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, at Syracuse Town Hall.