City of Johnston: No Double Pay for Johnston, Grimes Firefighters

Firefighters who work for both Johnston and Grimes do not receive double pay, a city employee said Monday.

Emily Price, communications specialist for the City of Johnston, sent the clarification after news broke that the federal government is investigating the Johnston and Grimes fire departments.

The Des Moines Register first reported the story. The U.S. Department of Labor opened the investigation, which appears to focus on firefighters who work full-time for one city's department while also working paid on-call shifts for the other city's fire department.


Grimes and Johnston have a cooperative agreement whereby they share the services of Fire Chief Jim Krohse and also co-staff a station that responds to calls in both communities.

"When a Johnston firefighter is working in Johnston, they are only getting paid by Johnston.  When a Grimes firefighter is working in Grimes, they are only getting paid by Grimes.  When a Johnston firefighter is working part time in Grimes, they are only getting paid by Grimes, and so on," Price said in an email. "Firefighters all over Iowa can work full time in one city and part time in another.  It's how cities, especially growing ones like ours, are able to keep up with demand and keep residents safe."