Lake wants full-time fire chief

8/3/2005

Lake Township trustees want a full-time fire chief for their department after deadlocking recently over two candidates who applied when the post was advertised as part time.

Trustees voted 3-0 last night to give current members of the fire department until Aug. 19 to apply.

"There is so much work that needs to be done we feel it needs to be full time," said Trustee Ron Sims, who has been an unpaid acting administrator of the department since October.

The job requires a lot of paperwork to be completed and grants to be sought that can offset department expenses, Mr. Sims said.

Lake Township, with about 75 part-time firefighters, once employed a full-time fire chief. Surrounding fire departments have full-time fire chiefs, trustees said.

Trustees want their decision for whomever they select to be unanimous, he said. They were unable to agree recently when they considered two internal candidates.

"After I talked to both assistant fire chiefs and asked if there were others who would be interested in a full-time position, they said there was," Mr. Sims said.

Originally, five internal candidates applied, and later 10 outside candidates sought the job.

Trustees took no action to ask for applicants from outside the department. The full-time salary would range from $48,000 to $50,000 a year, double the amount paid to Dennis Boos, the former township chief who resigned last year.

In other action, trustees renewed the contract of Police Chief Mark Hummer for one year and granted him a three percent pay increase. His former salary was $54,558 a year.

"We think he has done a wonderful job," Trustee Melanie Bowen-Horton said. "We are very pleased with him." Mr. Hummer was hired in May, 2004.