Cobb Reporter

Speaking at a recent firefighter breakfast, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pledged an upgrade in pay for new recruits amid reports that some department members have recently been forced to work 48 hours straight to keep all of the neighborhood stations open.

Atlanta firefighters union boss Nate Bailey told council members that low pay, especially when compared to smaller departments, has led to the departure of younger firefighters, a recent FOX 5 Atlanta report said.

"And that has been killing us," Bailey told Fox 5 after an Atlanta City Council meeting, referring to the current $40,000 starting salary for firefighters.

Several members of the City Council are already on record with their intentions of supporting the Mayor's plan, which is expected to be revealed in greater detail in the coming days. 

Bailey recently told FOX 5 that staffing has become "dangerously low," with firefighters getting little sleep at the busiest stations. Additionally, he noted that while some of the city's suburban fire departments pay their veteran firefighters over $70,000, the highest annual salary in Atlanta is approximately $55,000.

At that time, Bailey told the City Council the department had 200 vacancies, including recruits; the Fox 5 report said.