City, fire officials seek levy, workers

The Lorain Fire Department is hiring and the city’s fire chief hopes voters will show their support at the ballot box this spring.

The Lorain Civil Service Commission is taking applications through Feb. 19 for the upcoming exam to qualify for the fire department.

Meanwhile, city voters will consider renewing the five-year, 1.7-mill levy that would raise about $1.4 million a year for the Lorain Fire Department.

Up for a vote

In 2016, city voters approved the levy to build two new fire stations and those buildings are done.

The new east side Station No.

4 is at 2410 Garfield Blvd. and the west side Station No. 7, the newest in the city, is at 5430 West

Erie Ave.

If voters say yes again in May, the Fire Department won’t build new, but will refurbish the Central Fire Station, 1350 Broadway, and Station No. 3, 3042 Grove

Ave. in South Lorain, said fire

Chief Christopher Radman.

Grant money paid for a new roof over two of the three building sections of the Central Fire Station, Radman said.

But, the roof leaks in the area over the station’s apparatus garage and rainwater filters into the officers’ living quarters, he said.

The drains in the apparatus bay and in the station parking lot need replacement as well.

Station No. 3 also needs a roof and some new windows, the chief said.

“When the wind’s blowing, you can see all the curtains blowing back and forth,” Radman said. “So, it’s not very energy efficient as it is.”

The novel coronavirus pandemic has delayed training for new firefighter candidates, which in turn has slowed hiring of new firefighters for Lorain.

That situation has caused the need for overtime for current firefighters to maintain the stations and trucks.

Hiring more firefighters will reduce the salaries for some firefighters currently getting overtime pay, the chief said.

“It’s almost getting to the point where I believe some of them are starting to get burned out,” Radman said.

The current staff roster is 65; at least one firefighter who left has not been replaced, and three others will retire this year, he said.

The Fire Department has not yet promoted three firefighters to lieutenants to replace those who retired in recent years.

In 2016, when voters approved the levy, there were 73 firefighters.

Staying on the job

The Fire Department works with the city administration and City Council to find the right budget for manpower and equipment.

If the city faces a budget crunch, Radman said he does not want to hire new firefighters, then have to lay them off due to financial cuts.

In 2001, that happened to him when he worked for six months, then was laid off, then called back.

He credited the support from Mayor Jack Bradley over the last year.

“I think Mayor Bradley did a good job navigating us through this first year of the pandemic, and was able to keep us where we’re at right now,” Radman said. “This levy will help continue us on the right path and give us the monies to keep the safety forces where they should be.”

Take the test

Lorain’s civil service eligibility list for entry level firefighter dates from March 2019.

New firefighters must go through a process of physical examinations, polygraphs and interviews.

It is about to expire, Radman said, so there is not enough time to hire candidates from it.

As time goes on, some applicants withdraw their name from the list; others do not pass the probationary period, he said.

“We’re looking for people to take the test,” Radman said. “We want the most qualified. There’s definitely going to be guys hired off this list.”

Applicants sometimes ask if the city actually will hire anyone once the exam is completed.

Firefighter applicants often take civil service exams in multiple communities, so if there is a lag in time between the exam and the start of hiring, they might already be on the job in another city by the time Lorain is ready to hire, Radman said.

“I just want people to realize or know, there will be hires off this list, so come take it,” he said.