The Monmouth Police and Fire Board recently held a meeting discussing the low applications for new firefighters, police officers, and dispatchers. Communications Director Ken Helms says Fire Chief Casey Rexroat suggested relaxing the EMT certification before being hired:
“As with everything we are having a hard time getting applicants in police, fire, and dispatching realms. One of the things that he suggested is maybe they relax the EMT certification that is required before you are hired. In the past, they used to say that you could be hired and then within “x” number of months, you would receive that EMT certification through the department and through the schooling there. It allowed them to get a larger pool of applicants that may not have spent their own time and money to get the certification beforehand.”
**Written by WMOI/WRAM Director of Communications Kelsey Crain**
