Debate over low pay for Estonia's rescue workers highlights growing reliance on volunteers

A public debate has reignited in Estonia over the low pay of professional rescue workers, drawing attention to the country's increasing reliance on volunteers to maintain internal security. Commentator Imre Kaas, writing for ERR News, notes that alongside 71 professional rescue stations, Estonia operates 119 volunteer rescue stations, supported by 3,241 volunteer rescue workers and assistant explosive ordnance disposal specialists.

Of Estonia's 1,668 professional rescue workers, 112 earn the minimum salary of €1,606 a month, while the average base salary in the profession is €1,758. Next year, salaries will rise by just under €50 a month — an amount that would cover roughly one extra basket of groceries.

The Rescue Board and trade unions argue that fair pay for rescue workers would be 1.2 times the national average salary, or about €2,700 a month. Reaching that level would require an additional €25 million a year in payroll funding.

Public anger was fueled by remarks from Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi on ETV's "Esimene stuudio," where he said rescue workers' salaries would rise at least in line with inflation and that recipients of such treatment should not complain. The show's host had to remind the minister that rescue workers' pay remains among the lowest in the country and is difficult to live on.

Volunteer rescue worker Hendrik Tali wrote in Delfi that volunteer rescue stations struggle to cover basic costs such as electricity and fuel, and that some volunteers respond to emergencies using vehicles roughly 50 years old.

A similar dynamic exists within the police force, where Estonia's 1,300 assistant police officers performed 111,616 hours of work this year, with 88% of them regularly active. Unlike volunteer rescue workers, assistant police officers are provided with more modern vehicles and do not have to purchase their own equipment.