Excerpts from the JournalTopics.com:
Six Mount Prospect firefighters were sworn-in during Tuesday’s (Jan. 5) village board meeting, a move that brings department staffing back to where it was before budget cuts in 2010.
The fire department last year received the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in an amount of $1.385 million. The grant will cover salaries and benefits for the six firefighters over the next two years.
According to Interim Fire Chief Brian Lambel, four of the six will attend the fire academy beginning Jan. 18 for nine weeks. The other two will begin work at Fire Station 13 on Northwest Highway immediately. Engine 13 has been out of service since the budget cuts were made and will not be put back in service until the all are part of normal shifts. Lambel said he expects the engine to be back in service by April.
As part of the grant funding, if the fire department were able to hire war veterans, there was a chance the grant could be extended by one year. However, none of the six served in the armed forces. The two-year grant runs from Jan. 4, 2016 through Jan. 4, 2018. After that, the village becomes responsible for the new salaries and benefits.
The new firefighters/paramedics are Joshua Wojnowski, Ryan Lawler, John Kelly, Joseph Salecki, Michael Filpi and Andrew Maynard.
thanks Dan
