By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Slowly, but steadily, the Decatur Fire Department is working its way back to full strength in personnel.
After being given permission to make a hire to fill the paid-on-call staff, Fire Jeff Sheets told city council on Tuesday that the department now has a pair of candidates for the two openings within the full-time, or career, group.
The board of safety approved the addition of Brad Roe, the city’s assistant building/zoning superintendent, to the paid-on-call staff.
That brings it to a full complement of 25 firefighters who are paid for each fire to which they respond.
The two candidates for full-time roles have passed physical agility testing and background checks and gone through interviews. They now only need to get through some state requirements for PERF (Public Employee’ Retirement Fund).
There were 11 applicants at the start of the process. That number was trimmed to six and now to two.
If approved for PERF, the two will bring the department back to full strength: nine career firefighters, Deputy Chief Chad Baumann, and Chief Sheets.
The department lost a third of its staff in late July when three firefighters resigned to join the Northwest Fire District in Allen County.
Preston Bemis was added to the staff on Sept. 1.
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