Estonian commentator warns rescuers' low pay is straining volunteer system
Estonian broadcaster commentator Imre Kaas argues that rescue workers' pay must not be a taboo topic, warning that internal security relies too heavily on volunteers whose resources are finite. The debate flared after Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi said rescuers' wage growth is already sufficient.
Commentator Imre Kaas said on Vikerraadio that rescue workers' salaries should not be treated as an off-limits subject, stressing that Estonia's internal security currently depends heavily on volunteers' goodwill — a resource that is not limitless, since, as he put it, a fifty-year-old fire truck simply may not start.
Kaas noted that Estonia has so far been fortunate to have many people willing to help: a neighbor who clears blocked drains, someone serving as a police auxiliary, another spending weekends with the Defence League, and yet another volunteering with a local rescue brigade. He warned, however, that internal security has received less attention in recent years as focus shifted to external threats tied to Russia's military activity — defense budgets, ammunition, hybrid attacks and drone risks.
The pay debate intensified after Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi said on ETV's "Esimene stuudio" that rescuers' salaries are rising at least as fast as inflation and that complaints about pay are unwarranted. The show's host had to remind the minister that rescuers' wages lag significantly behind other sectors and are difficult to live on.
Figures cited show that among Estonia's 1,668 professional rescuers, 112 earn the lowest rate of €1,606 a month, while the average base salary is €1,758. Next year's raise will add less than €50 a month — an increase the minister himself acknowledged would not meaningfully improve living standards. The Rescue Board and unions argue a fair wage would be 1.2 times the national average salary, or roughly €2,700 a month, which would require about €25 million in additional annual funding.
Kaas warned that persistently low pay means Estonia will increasingly lean on volunteers, since professional staff are already in short supply. Alongside 71 professional rescue brigades, Estonia has 119 volunteer rescue brigades totaling 3,241 volunteer rescuers and sapper assistants, who struggle with tight budgets for electricity and fuel and sometimes use decades-old vehicles. Estonia's 1,300 police auxiliaries, who logged 111,616 hours of police work this year, provide similarly vital backup.
