Gilmer County is feeling the labor shortage pinch not just in the private sector, but in the public sector as well.
Two areas experiencing the shortage are law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs.
“We are getting very few people applying,” said Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson.
His department is down nine deputies, six detention personnel and three dispatchers right now.
There are no service gaps at this time, but he said it is causing everyone else to have to work longer and harder.
Similar shortages are being felt over the country and the region.
“I think it is a combination of a whole bunch of stuff,” Nicholson said.
On his list of contributing factors are people not wanting to work, a negative perception of the profession and money.
“Basically, at the level we are at, we are competing with Walmart and fast-food starting pay,” he said.
Locally, there is not a perception problem, but it creeps in from elsewhere.
“A lot of younger folks are choosing not to pursue this line of work,” Nicholson said. “We don’t face that mentality here, but you see it every time you turn the TV on.”
To counteract this and enhance recruiting, Nicholson is looking to his younger people.
“I’m using my younger deputies,” he said. “We’re looking to them to help us with recruiting.”
As a result, the department is working with younger social media and looking at high school and college career fairs.
Gilmer County Public Safety Director Keith Kucera sees some of the same issues with firefighters, EMTs and paramedics.
Gilmer County has added a pay bonus of $2 per hour for EMTs and paramedics staffing ambulances to help raise the pay for employees.
“Primarily because we are losing so many of our EMTs and paramedics,” said Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris.
Shortfalls in personnel are everywhere.
“One of the issues is overall qualified workforce,” said Kucera.
One way his department is dealing with the issue is to cross train paramedics and firefighters. It is a commitment, though, of two years worth of training.
His department is working to develop a public safety pathway at the high school. It would allow a student to graduate and be able to take an exam to begin a career in public safety.
Kucera is also asking the board of commissioners for higher salaries.
“Our community is growing, and we have to grow with it,” he said.
Paris said the budget process has just started, but the board is looking at pay increases, but are facing inflation increases as well.
“Raising salaries across the board, not just the sheriff’s department, is a priority for the 2022 budget,” he said. “We are just in the beginning stages of this budget.”
Paris said he believes revenues will be up, but doesn’t know if it will match rising inflation.
Nicholson said raising salaries for law enforcement and public safety is necessary. He believes to public wants this and will show their support.
“I delivered a request, even a plea, to increase salaries,” he said. “Now, more than ever in my lifetime, this will be supported by the public en masse.”