Joshua Connors has been fighting fires in Columbus for more than six years and in that time has sustained several injuries on the job, including once when a brick wall fell on him.
His father was a firefighter, so it felt natural for Connors to follow in his footsteps.
Even though Connors loves his job, he doesn’t know day-to-day if he’ll stay a firefighter, let alone if he can make it almost 24 more years to retirement.
“I’m 29. I’ve got hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain,” he said. “… Just in that time frame that I’ve been here.
“… I couldn’t imagine doing it maybe another 23(-plus) years the way I feel. … Looking down the road now, that’s a long time. I feel like I’ve been here 15 years. I’ve only been here six,” he added.
Firefighters and police officers who are hired next spring will have to endure longer to eventually draw retirement.
During this year’s legislative session, Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1 into law, which implemented a new fifth tier to Mississippi’s Public Employees Retirement System. Starting March 1, new hires in public jobs, including physically demanding positions like firefighters and police officers, will have to work 35 years or have eight years vested at 62 years old before they can receive retirement benefits.
Hires before March 1 will be on the current tier, which requires 30 years of service, or they can draw retirement at age 60 if they have at least eight years of service.
In this new tier, public employees will no longer have guaranteed cost of living adjustments or be able to contribute unused leave toward their vested time, PERS website said. The plan also shifts from what was a 9% employee contribution to monthly retirement benefits into a hybrid of 4% to monthly retirement benefits and 5% going to a 401(k).
The legislative change to reduce benefits for new employees was necessary for the long-term survival of PERS and in aiding continued funding for retirees already in the system, Executive Director Ray Higgins Jr. wrote in a July letter to leaders of PERS covered agencies.
Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard said the PERS change has “devastated” policing in Mississippi – already a profession facing officer shortages. It will only further complicate recruiting and retention for his department.
“Our men and women understand the challenges that they face going into it,” Ballard said. “They serve for a reason. They understand that government pay will never be comparable to civilian pay … but you used to have a sense of security to know at least you would have a stronger, good retirement.”
A recent survey from the Police Executive Research Forum found that officer numbers nationwide are still down 5% from January 2020.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024 projected an average of about 27,100 open firefighter positions annually across the country through 2034, with about 3% growth expected in the total employment of firefighters over that time. Currently, SPD has eight openings, CPD has six and CFR has six.
A ‘young person’s game’
Columbus Fire and Rescue Chief Duane Hughes said he expects the applicant pool of firefighters in Columbus to shrink beyond the already low numbers it receives.
“It’s going to be very hard to go to … The Communiversity and set up a stand, or the … job fair, or anywhere like this and get these people hooked in and start talking to them, and then drop the hammer when they ask you about retirement and you tell them it’s a 35 year retirement,” he said.
Columbus Police Department Chief Joseph Daughtry and Ballard are working to proactively fill open officer positions in their departments before the new tier goes into effect.
While firefighters and police officers in Mississippi can start at the department as young as 21 years old, most of the recruits that come through Columbus are closer to 27, which would put their retirement age closer to 62. That isn’t sustainable for someone in those positions, both Hughes and Daughtry said.
“This is a young person’s game. It really is,” Hughes said. “You’re having to make split second decisions that are literally life and death.”
In addition to the physical demands of the job, both Daughtry and Hughes noted mental stress is another issue with personnel retention.
“There is a challenge of seeing some things that may not be the prettiest,” said CFR Capt. Marco Rodriguez. “… There are other things that we deal with … and there’s some scars there that you have to deal with for the rest of your life.”
Daughtry and Hughes said their departments have lost employees to other states with better benefits or more lucrative industries. Both expect increased losses as the new PERS tier goes into effect in 2026.
Going forward, departments will have to come up with new ways to address this issue to ensure that public services like fire and police departments stay adequately staffed, Hughes, Ballard and Daughtry all agreed.
“You can give them all the training in the world, but when … the people who love them and care for them start having those discussions about retirement options, we’re going to really struggle in Mississippi to keep any top notch professionals,” Ballard said. “… It’s something that we have to be able to address.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
