Marshfield Fire & Rescue Department officially will have the ability to hire three additional firefighter/paramedics, after the City of Marshfield Common Council voted 10-0 to approve the hiring. The decision comes as a response to rising call volume and staffing challenges.
A long time in the works, the item was most recently discussed at last Thursday’s Fire and Police Commission meeting, where it was approved again after President Mike Meyers asked that the item be re-evaluated after being given new cost information.
In discussions with the City’s Finance Department, cost estimates for the positions proved higher than originally anticipated, however funding was still adequate. (Funding for these positions is coming from an enterprise fund- not taxpayer dollars.)
“We’ve worked with Finance and everything is good,” said Marshfield Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Owen, adding that these three positions will improve the department’s ability to serve the community.
“I am very happy, as are the members of the department, that we have the approval to bring more firefighter/paramedics on board,” he said. “It will make a difference. It’s going to take some of the current workload off of current staff, spread it out. And on a fire scene, even one person can make a big difference.”
