At Tuesday night’s Monmouth City Council meeting, Marine veteran Paul Mangieri of Galesburg was sworn-in as the newest addition to the city’s Fire Department.
Mangieri’s hiring brings the total number of firefighters up to 14, in addition to Chief Casey Rexroat, who shares some of the training details that Firefighter Mangieri will undertake over the course of the next 10 weeks:
“Like all new hires, Paul will report to the Fire Service Academy in Champaign, at the University of Illinois, for a total of 10 weeks,” Rexroat said. “When he completes the training and certification, he’ll be ready to join the regular rotation of our firefighters here in Monmouth.
“I’m sure his Marine training will serve him well, and we’re excited to have him join our team here in Monmouth.”
EMERGENCY CALL FOR GAS LEAK: A recent call to clear an unoccupied home that had filled with gas that was drifting toward nearby structures, is one of several types of situations that require the attention of the Monmouth Fire Department.
Chief Casey Rexroat shares details of this particular emergency call, in which an alert passerby notified the Fire Department:
“It was one of those types of calls that we get, and thankfully the passerby let us know right away,” Rexroat said. “No one was home, and we were able to alert the neighbors and clear the area. Ameren was there to cut the power, and we were able to pinpoint the leak before it became a more serious situation.”
Chief Rexroat reminds Monmouth residents that if you smell a gas leak, don’t hesitate to call your utility provider — as well as the Fire Department — to make sure the situation is addressed quickly and safely.
SMOKE DETECTOR CHANGES FOR 2023: A new Illinois law that requires residents to upgrade smoke detectors will go into effect in 2023.All dwellings in Illinois have been required to have smoke detectors since 1988, but residents are now being told to use detectors that come with built-in batteries that last up to 10 years.
Chief Casey Rexroat said his crew members will deliver and install these new, 10 Year Long Life smoke alarms to Monmouth residents free of charge.
Area residents who are interested in this service — or need more information — can call the Monmouth Fire Department at (309) 734-8428.
