By Susan Misur, Register Staff

GUILFORD — The Fire Department is adding eight new staff members, thanks to a federal grant and wage concessions.

Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Vetre and Ken Wilson, vice chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, said conditional letters of employment have been sent to the eight men, who are set to begin work this week after passing physical and psychological examinations and background checks.

All are from Connecticut, except for one from Massachusetts. They have completed the required training hours to be firefighters, but will spend four weeks training in Guilford to learn department operations and town roads, Wilson said.

Firefighters with emergency medical technician certification will earn $42,000 to start, while those who are also paramedics will be paid $48,000, Wilson explained.

“We’re moving forward, and we’re moving fast,” he said, adding that a growing population, decrease in volunteers and increase in calls necessitate more staff members.

In November, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded the department a $860,000 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, which is given specifically for hiring employees.

A 2003 study said in order to meet national safety requirements, the department needs to increase its staff to 32 and maintain its volunteer base; there are 24 career firefighters and 62 volunteers, 24 of which are extremely active, officials said.

“This is not a ‘nice-to-have’ program. These are the actual needs of the town validated by the study and the federal government,” Vetre said.

The town will help pay for the new firefighters and increase financial contributions over a five-year period, while the government will make payments over four years in decreasing amounts.

In the fifth year and beyond, the town will cover all costs of the new firefighters, and if any are laid off over the next four years, the town must pay back grant money.

The Board of Selectmen said to help pay for the new firefighters, firefighters must agree to a wage freeze, or else face layoffs and the rejection of the grant.

Firefighters gave up $26,000 of annual stipends for being paramedics and EMTs, and officials reallocated $60,000 previously set aside for volunteer incentives. For fiscal 2010-11, firefighters will forgo a 3 percent raise to save $105,000, while Chief Charles Herrschaft and Vetre will also give up their raises.

“These are tough times, and this certainly shows the caliber of men and women working for us able to do something like that,” said Joseph Travaglino, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners.

Had the Fire Department not received the grant, the town would pay $1.864 million over the next four years, according to Finance Director Sheila Villano. But with the grant, the town will pay 54 percent of that cost.

First Selectman Joseph Mazza said the town hoped to hire four firefighters during the 2009-10 fiscal year and four in fiscal 2010-11 and would have paid 100 percent of the costs. Due to budget cuts, that was not going to happen, Mazza said. He added it was “admirable” that firefighters agreed to wage concessions.