Brookfield trustees have hired Sloane Myers as a full-time firefighter and paramedic, bringing the department up to its full complement of 10 full-timers.
She still has to pass a physical, background check and physical agility test. Fire Chief David Masirovits said he hopes she will work her first shift on March 23.
The department has been working since September with only two full-timers assigned to one shift, while there are three assigned to the other two. Because of the nature of calls that the man-short shift has been getting, and the inability to attract consistent part-time help, that twosome has been getting “pretty beat up,” Masirovits said.
Myers was hired at a salary of $53,247 a year, 90 percent of what a fully tenured firefighter would be paid.
Myers, who was hired March 11, has worked part time for Howland and Ellsworth fire departments. Before getting her firefighter and paramedic certifications, she completed a high school public safety training program, Masirovits said.
Myers also is certified in Tactical Emergency Casualty Care, getting the department closer to Masirovits’ goal of having all full-time members certified in this specialty.
“It’s almost like a SWAT paramedic,” the chief said. “You’re not able to carry a firearm but you’re taught how to make entry, do the sweeps with the police, basically, be in the hot zone of an incident, like a school shooting, while administering care.”
Brookfield Capt. Derek Hollander is a TECC instructor, and a couple of other department members are certified.
“That’s one of the classes we’re looking at doing, in-house,” Masirovits said.
