Purpose Statement

Basic Pay Rates enable administrators to establish standardized compensation structures for personnel across different operational activities. This feature allows organizations to assign appropriate pay rates for incidents, training sessions, and special events, ensuring accurate payroll calculations and consistent compensation management throughout the First Due platform.

Background Information

The Basic Pay Rates feature integrates with the Personnel, Training, Activities, and Incidents modules to automate pay calculations based on predefined rate structures. This functionality is essential for Fire/EMS departments that need to track compensation for various duty types, overtime scenarios, and specialized assignments. By configuring these rates at the personnel level, administrators can ensure that payroll data is accurately captured during incident reporting, training documentation, and event management processes.

Required Permissions

Personnel Records

• Edit personnel
• Create personnel
• Delete personnel
• Read Own Personnel
  

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Access Personnel Management

1. Navigate to Personnel > Personnel List from the main navigation menu
   

1. Locate the employee whose pay rates need configuration
   

Step 2: Open Personnel Record

1. Click the Pencil icon next to the desired person's name
2. This opens their complete personnel record for editing
   

Step 3: Navigate to Basic Pay Rates

1. Click on the "Basic Pay Rates" tab within the personnel record
2. The pay rate configuration interface will display
   

Step 4: Configure Pay Rates

1. Review the three pay rate categories: Incidents, Training, and Events
2. Select the appropriate pay rate for each category using the dropdown menus
3. Ensure each selection aligns with your organization's compensation policies
4. Verify that all required fields are completed
   

Step 5: Save Configuration

1. Click the "Save" button to apply the new pay rate settings
2. Confirm that changes have been successfully recorded
3. The updated rates will now be applied to future activities for this personnel member
   

Best Practices

Rate Assignment Strategy:

• Establish consistent pay rate structures across similar roles and ranks
• Regularly review and update rates to maintain compliance with labor agreements
• Document the rationale for different rate assignments for audit purposes

Integration Considerations:

• Ensure pay rates align with those configured in your organization's payroll system
• Coordinate with finance teams to maintain consistency across platforms
• Consider overtime multipliers and special duty rates when setting base rates

Maintenance Schedule:

• Review pay rates quarterly or as contracts are updated
• Update rates before the beginning of new fiscal periods
• Maintain historical records of rate changes for compliance tracking

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Common Issues:

Q: Pay rates are not appearing in dropdown menus A: Verify that Pay Grades have been properly configured in the system before assigning individual rates. Pay Grades must be established first to populate the dropdown options.

Q: Changes to pay rates are not saving A: Ensure you have appropriate permissions to modify personnel records and that all required fields are completed before clicking Save.

Q: How do rate changes affect historical records? A: Pay rate changes typically apply to future activities only. Historical incident, training, and event records maintain their original rate calculations unless specifically updated.

Q: Can different rates be set for the same person across different time periods? A: Rate changes are applied at the personnel level and take effect immediately. For time-based rate variations, consider using different pay grades or consult with system administrators about advanced configuration options.