Strasburg’s newest firefighters sworn in
STRASBURG (WJER) (Sept. 12, 2022) – The village fire station is fully staffed for the first time since becoming an around-the-clock operation.
A pair of hires at last Tuesday’s council meeting brought the number of firefighters on the department’s roster to 28. Chief Steven Laskey says there were around 16 including himself when he started back in March.
“Most of the staff had stepped up to pick up the open shifts. I picked up open shifts if no one else could take them to keep people in the building and make do where we had the gap in staffing.”
Most of the department’s newest recruits were sworn in that evening, although several couldn’t attend because of scheduling conflicts.
“The other three we’re just doing a private thing with the mayor. They were either in a medic class or had an engagement of other school organizations they couldn’t get out of for continuing training,” Laskey said.
The Strasburg Fire Department became a 24-7 operation on May 1st, although its members have yet to sleep inside the station. Laskey says supply chain issues delayed the arrival of a toilet that must be installed before they can secure the necessary permit. Night shift firefighters have been staying in a rented camper during the interim.