Purpose Statement

Background Information

Pay Grades serve as pre-configured hourly rate templates that can be assigned to personnel for tracking compensation in three specific areas: Incident Documentation, Activities, and Training. Unlike scheduling-related pay rates, these grades focus exclusively on operational cost tracking and payroll documentation for completed work.

Key Use Cases:

• Incident Documentation: Track personnel costs during emergency responses, enabling accurate expense reporting for mutual aid billing, grant applications, or departmental budgeting
• Activities: Document compensation for special events, community services, public education programs, or non-emergency department activities
• Training: Record training-related costs for classes, certifications, drills, and continuing education events

Important Distinction: Pay Grades configured in the Personnel Module are completely separate from scheduling compensation. They do not affect shift-based pay, overtime calculations, or any scheduling-related payroll functions. These grades exist solely for documenting and tracking costs associated with completed operational activities.

Required Permissions

Based on the Personnel Module functionality, users will need the following permission:

• Personnel Module Setup - Access to personnel module settings (allows full configuration of pay grades, including create, read, update, and delete operations)

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Creating Individual Pay Grades

Step 1: Navigate to Pay Grades Setup 

1. Click on Personnel > Setup in the main navigation menu
   
2. Then select Pay Grades from the setup options.
   

Step 2: Add a New Pay Grade

1. Click the Add Pay Grade button to open the pay grade creation form.
   

Step 3: Configure Pay Grade Details 

1. Fill in the required information:
   
1. Grade Name: Enter a descriptive name for the pay grade (e.g., "Firefighter I", "Paramedic", "Captain", "Training Instructor")
   
2. Rate: Enter the hourly rate for this grade as a decimal number (e.g., 25.50 for $25.50/hour)
   

1. Click Save when finished to create the pay grade.

Step 4: Manage Existing Pay Grades 

1. Once created, your pay grade appears in the list with several management options:
   
1. Edit: Click the pencil icon to modify the grade name or rate
   
2. Archive: Select the checkbox next to the pay grade to archive it (archived grades remain in historical records but cannot be assigned to new documentation)
   
3. Delete: Click the trashcan icon to permanently remove the pay grade (only available if the grade has not been used in any documentation)
   

Bulk Uploading Pay Grades

Step 1: Access Bulk Upload Tool 

1. From the Pay Grades list, click Upload CSV to open the bulk import interface.
   

Step 2: Prepare Your Spreadsheet

• Click Download the Sample Spreadsheet to obtain the properly formatted template
• Open the downloaded spreadsheet and fill in the necessary information:
  • Each row should contain one pay grade
  • Follow the column headers exactly as shown in the template
  • Include grade name and hourly rate for each entry
• Save your completed spreadsheet in CSV format
  

Step 3: Upload Your File

• Click Choose File and select your prepared CSV spreadsheet
• Click Next to initiate the import process
  

Step 4: Verify Import Success 

1. A confirmation pop-up will appear indicating the system successfully imported your file. Review the Pay Grades list to verify all entries were created correctly.
   

Best Practices

Do's:

• Use Clear, Descriptive Names: Name pay grades according to rank, certification level, or functional role (e.g., "Lieutenant-Paramedic" rather than "Grade 3") to make selection intuitive when documenting incidents or activities
• Align with Department Structure: Match pay grade names to your department's established rank structure and collective bargaining agreements to maintain consistency across all documentation
• Regular Rate Reviews: Schedule periodic reviews of pay grade rates (quarterly or annually) to ensure they reflect current compensation agreements and remain accurate for cost tracking
• Archive vs. Delete: When rates change, archive the old pay grade and create a new one rather than editing the existing rate. This preserves historical accuracy in past incident and training documentation
• Bulk Upload for Initial Setup: When establishing pay grades for the first time or migrating from another system, use the CSV bulk upload feature to save time and ensure consistency

Don'ts:

• Don't Confuse with Scheduling Pay: Pay grades in the Personnel Module are not connected to scheduling, shift differentials, overtime calculations, or time-off accruals. These are solely for incident, activity, and training documentation
• Don't Delete Active Pay Grades: Avoid deleting pay grades that have been used in historical documentation, as this can create data integrity issues. Archive them instead
• Don't Use Overly Complex Naming: While descriptive names are important, avoid excessively long or complicated grade names that will be difficult to select from dropdown menus during incident documentation
• Don't Forget Rate Updates: Outdated pay grades can lead to inaccurate cost tracking and reporting. Ensure rates are updated when collective bargaining agreements change or department compensation structures are revised

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Creating duplicate pay grades with slightly different names (e.g., "Firefighter" and "FF") that represent the same role and rate
• Editing active pay grade rates instead of archiving the old rate and creating a new grade, which can compromise historical cost accuracy
• Failing to communicate pay grade changes to personnel responsible for incident documentation, leading to incorrect grade selection
• Using pay grades for scheduling purposes, which should be managed through the Scheduling Module's separate pay rate configuration

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why aren't my pay grades appearing when I document incidents? A: Verify that: (1) the pay grades are not archived, (2) you have the proper permissions to view and use pay grades in incident documentation, and (3) the personnel record has been properly configured to use pay grades. Pay grades must be actively assigned to personnel records to appear in documentation workflows.

Q: Can I change a pay grade rate after it's been used in incident reports? A: While you can technically edit a pay grade rate, this will affect the displayed rate in all historical documentation where that grade was used. Best practice is to archive the existing pay grade and create a new one with the updated rate, preserving historical accuracy for past incidents and activities.

Q: What's the difference between archiving and deleting a pay grade? A: Archiving removes a pay grade from active selection lists but maintains it in the database for historical reference and reporting. This is appropriate when a rate changes or a position is eliminated but past documentation needs to remain accurate. Deleting permanently removes the pay grade and should only be done if it has never been used in any documentation.

Q: My CSV upload failed. What should I check? A: Common CSV upload issues include: (1) incorrect file format (ensure it's saved as .csv, not .xlsx), (2) missing or incorrectly named column headers, (3) special characters in grade names, (4) non-numeric values in the rate column, or (5) duplicate grade names. Download the sample spreadsheet and compare your file's structure exactly.

Q: How do pay grades relate to personnel records? A: Pay grades are assigned to individual personnel records in their profile configuration. Once assigned, that person's default pay grade will automatically populate when they're added to incident documentation, activities, or training events, though it can be changed for specific instances if needed.

Q: Can I have multiple pay grades active for the same rank? A: Yes, you can create multiple active pay grades even if they represent similar roles. This is useful when personnel at the same rank have different certification levels or specializations that warrant different documentation rates (e.g., "Firefighter I" and "Firefighter II" or "Firefighter-Paramedic" and "Firefighter-EMT").

Q: Why does First Due separate pay grades from scheduling pay rates? A: This separation allows departments to track operational costs for incident documentation, activities, and training independently from scheduling and payroll processing. Many departments have different rates for emergency response documentation (often including benefits and overhead) versus actual payroll rates, or need to track grant-funded training at different rates than regular operations.

Q: What happens to historical incident reports if I archive a pay grade? A: Historical incident reports retain the pay grade information that was recorded at the time of documentation. Archiving a pay grade only prevents it from being selected for new documentation going forward; it does not alter or remove data from existing records.