Sedgwick County commissioners have voted unanimously to approve hazard pay for first responders and support personnel during the coronavirus outbreak.

County manager Tom Stolz said the bonus pay would affect over 800 county employees.  He said there are 630 employees who are first responders, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS crews, corrections workers, van drivers for aging transportation services, and others.   They would receive a bonus of 200 dollars for the next two pay periods.   Stolz said another tier of employees who still provide critical services, but don’t have in-person interaction with the public, include 911 employees, emergency management staff, cooks in corrections facilities, and administrative staff in the sheriff’s office and the health department.   He said there are 184 workers in that category, and they would receive 100 dollars per pay period.

The county’s chief financial officer, Lindsay Poe Rousseau, said the county is in excellent position right now and the hazard pay is something that the county can take on for a short period of time.   The pay is expected to cost the county around $361,000 over the next month.

Stolz said the jobs for these workers have become more difficult with the coronavirus pandemic, and they deserve the county’s gratitude and loyalty, and the county also needs to provide ways to keep them safe.   The county is continuing to look for donations and suppliers of personal protective equipment to provide to first responders.

Sedgwick County’s EMS director, Dr. John Gallagher, said in today’s world the most frightening emergency call is for a patient with a fever and a cough.  He said EMTs and paramedics continue to answer the call every day, and they are just at risk for coronavirus as everyone else.  He said their courage and strength of heart puts them into a special class of hero.