By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
It has been a work in progress for Fire Chief Don Bertke as he has been seeking new firefighters for the Pioneer Fire Department highlighted at the Pioneer Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
In attendance were committee members Bryan Gendron, Al Fiser, and Joe Nickloy, village administrator Anthony Burnett, Mayor Ed Kidston, Village Solicitor Tom Thompson, Police Chief Tim Livengood and Fire Chief Don Bertke.
Following the mass walkout of 12 firefighters and the resignation of the fire chief at the time of the April council meeting, Bertke has been busy getting the fire department back to full strength.
Bertke, who was named fire chief last month, told the committee there are currently two recruits who are completing their final week of instruction this week. They will be taking their state test on June 11.
He said one of them has turned in their employment packet, and one still needs to pass a physical. “If they pass and are approved, the department will have five people on the roster,” said Bertke.
Village Solicitor Tom Thompson said if the two have their physicals complete, they can be appointed to the department.
It would be an appointment by Mayor Ed Kidston but would need approval by the village council.
Despite looking to increase the roster, Bertke added the door is still open for any former firefighter looking to return.
“After the last council meeting, there were a few former members who were in the parking lot and did not have any additional discussions taking place,” said Bertke. “I reiterated what I said at the meeting they all got my phone number and if anything changes down the road, they are more than welcome to call me.”
He recently had a conversation with a woman a police officer had spoken with during a run on Lakeshore Drive, and found out she was interested in the fire department.
“I got her to come up to the station (Tuesday) and I talked to her for a little bit,” said Bertke. “She’s really interested, really gung ho to do it. I invited her to come back to the next meeting, so we get a chance to talk to her.”
Bertke added that there are five people who want to take the firefighter course this fall.
He said both the Bryan Training Academy and Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office are doing classes in August, though he didn’t know the exact dates.
“We have a couple of options there,” he said. “And speaking with some of the training centers around, if we were to get enough people and maybe if there were any other neighboring departments that had individuals who needed a class it would be a possibility to put on a class locally. So, that’s always an option.”
“Hopefully if all of these people pan out, the roster could be up to nine or 10 by the end of the year,” the fire chief said.
Kidston made it clear there is an open invitation to any of the past members who want to step forward and be a part of the program.
“I know we attempted early on but didn’t get very far,” said Kidston. “I thought over time more people may want to be involved.”
Kidston had a discussion earlier in the day with Thompson floating the idea of putting a safety levy on the ballot in the future.
“Pioneer is the only town or township that I know in Williams County that doesn’t have some kind of safety levy,” Kidston said.
“Pioneer is the only one that does it all through the general fund, and we never charged a separate levy for it. We’ve kicked around the idea of putting on a levy. If we are going to do that in November to charge our people extra taxes, then we need to move on that shortly.
“But we saved so many dollars here, and I don’t think that we need a levy itself. We just do business as usual, and we just pay for it out of the general fund like we always have.”
Police Chief Tim Livengood reported there are two recruits currently attending the police academy and asked for consideration from the committee to fill both positions, bringing the police department closer to full strength. He is also seeking a couple of part-time officers as well.
“That will significantly help us make sure that we have 24/7 coverage,” said Livengood.
In other business,
— Approved two members of the Pioneer Police Department to serve as security officers for the upcoming American Legion Buckeye Boys State at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (June 14-21) and Buckeye Girls State at Bowling Green State University (June 7-13).
— Received a deposit reimbursement check of $435,000. The deposit was for a fire truck the village had decided not to purchase.
— Heard an update from village administrator Anthony Burnett regarding the overhead doors being installed at the safety building on Friday. He also said that work is set to be done on the roof and siding either in late June or early July on the building.
— Was updated on the status of Fire Engine No. 71, which is slated for much-needed repair work.
The meeting adjourned at 8 p.m.