Ruth – Some St. Martin Parish fire departments will have paid firefighters in 2011.

Brian Castille, fire district coordinator, said the details are still being worked out but the intention is to ensure there are sufficient firefighters on hand during daylight working hours.

“So many people work out of the parish now that sometimes it’s hard to find enough volunteers during the day,” Castille said.

He said the plan is to ensure that paid daytime firefighters will be stationed so that both the north and south ends of the parish are covered.

Parish President Guy Cormier said he put $115,000 in next year’s budget to cover four positions eight hours a day, five days a week. The positions are being budgeted as permanent part-time jobs, meaning that more than four persons will occupy them on a rotating basis.

The paid daytime firefighters will be occupied keeping records, planning, testing and other tasks, Cormier said.

The St. Martin Parish Fire District consists of 12 volunteer fire departments operating at 15 sites with 290 firefighters and over 40 trucks.