The department would likely bring on the remaining part-time hires by the start of 2015, restoring it to fully-staffed ranks, according to West Chester Fire Chief Tony Goller.
The 10 new hires are not for new positions in the department, said Trustee President George Lang.
“We have a total of 23 open positions that we are filling,” Lang said. “It takes a while to interview and get someone through the process.”
Starting pay for part-time firefighters/EMTs or firefighter/paramedics in West Chester Twp. is $16.25 per hour. Salaries for the new hires are already built into the township’s existing budget, Lang said.
“Our reserves and our fire levy are very strong,” Lang said. “Our fire chief has been very responsible with how we spend the money and the (fire) union has been very cooperative, as well in helping us to maintain and reduce costs.”
The current round of hiring started in early spring, when the township gave a physical capabilities test to 40 prospective firefighters.
“It just takes that long sometimes to … go through the process,” Goller said. “We don’t shorten any process just because we’re low on people. We do extensive background checks to get the best people we can.”
The township is continuing to do so this month by giving a physical capabilities test to another 19 candidates in the hopes of filling 13 new part-time positions by early 2015.
That will help the township reach its goal of employing 64 full-time positions and 73 part-time positions, Goller said.
“Our part-time staff provides a vital portion of our staffing complement for the fire department,” her said. “Utilizing part-time personnel to supplement the core career staff is the most efficient and fiscally responsible approach to staffing while meeting the community’s needs for fire and emergency medical service.”
Maintaining a full complement of part-time firefighters, however, has been challenging for departments throughout the area as these individuals often work for more than one department and leave when full-time posts become available, Goller said.
The fire department’s ranks shrank after larger municipalities used federal grants to expand their fire staff, Goller said.
“Part-time people are always looking for a full-time job,” he said. “There’s very part time guys that do this on the side as their second job. Most of them are looking for a full-time job and over 95 percent of part time people that we lost went to departments that were hiring career people.”
This isn’t the first round of hiring West Chester has engaged in this year. In February and March, it hired nine part-time firefighters — three each on three separate occasions.
Approved for employment starting this week were:
- Stephen Bosko, of West Union, an EMT and also employed by Hilltop Cabinets
- Benjamin Geiger, of Maineville, a paramedic also employed by North East Champaign Co. Fire Department
- Jonathon Godby, of West Chester Twp., who also served in the U.S. Navy
- David Jollis, of Cincinnati, an EMT also employed by U.C. College of Medicine. Jollis also served in U.S. Coast Guard
- Benjamin Kidd, of Trenton, an EMT also employed by Fairfield Twp. Fire Department
- Joshua Moeves, of Fairfield, an EMT also employed with Delhi Fire Department. Moeves also served in the U.S. Marines
- Timothy Perry, of Williamsburg, a paramedic/fire inspector also employed by Central Join Fire Department and Pierce Twp Fire Department
- James (Logan) Rigsby, of Somerville, an EMT volunteer with Somerville Fire Department who also is employed by Ohio Ambulance
- Ryan Tucker, of Withamsville, an EMT volunteer with New Richmond Fire Department who also is employed by Kroger
- Jason Williams, of St. Bernard, an EMT/fire inspector also employed by Mariemont, Milford and Elmwood fire departments
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