Firefighters in Whitehorse are getting some financial help in their upcoming court battle with the city over salaries.

The International Association of Firefighters has promised to fund the upcoming Yukon Supreme Court case, in which the city is challenging an arbitration ruling that awarded the firefighters a retroactive pay raise.

"They felt that this case could be precedent-setting for other locals throughout Canada, so they felt they needed to step up and assist us through the process from here on in," Whitehorse firefighters' local president Brian Fedoriak told CBC News.

Earlier this year, an arbitrator ruled that Whitehorse firefighters should receive a five per cent salary raise for each of the past three years.

City officials have argued that the retroactive raise conflicts with a pay equity system that applies to all municipal employees.

If the firefighters' salaries are increased, the city would be forced to give similar raises to other city employees in the same pay class, officials say.

Normally, Whitehorse's 23 firefighters would have to pay any contract-related legal costs on their own. The firefighters covered $70,000 in costs related to the arbitration process, Fedoriak said.

"It's been a long time, 3½ years without a contract, without a raise — it's starting to hit guys personally," he said.

"But you know, but we go in every day, we do our job. We love being firefighters."

A court date has not yet been set for the city's challenge to be heard.