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City plans two deputy fire chiefs, advertises for three firefighter-paramedics amid staffing concerns
Summary
Fire division leadership described a plan for a second deputy chief position, outlined responsibilities for two deputy chiefs, and said the city is advertising three firefighter-paramedic openings; committee members pressed for recruitment competitiveness and data-driven staffing plans.
Perrysburg — Fire division leadership told the Perrysburg Board & Committees the city will advertise for a second deputy fire chief and is recruiting three firefighter-paramedics as part of a broader multi-year plan to increase staffing.
Why it matters: Fire division leaders and the city administrator emphasized public safety and response capacity as drivers for new hires and leadership roles. Committee members asked for clarity on recruiting, pay ranges and how in-house staffing will relate to existing mutual-aid arrangements.
Deputy chief roles and recruitment: Fire leadership described a two–deputy-chief framework. One deputy would manage support services — accreditation, community risk reduction, fire prevention, public education and logistics — while the other would oversee emergency services, day-to-day operations and training. The role is proposed as a 40-hour position to provide consistent training oversight across three shifts. A member of fire leadership said the change would allow dedicated focus on training and accreditation work that currently falls to a captain assigned to a single shift.
Firefighter hiring and staffing trajectory: The city is advertising to add three firefighter-paramedics; the advertisement closes Feb. 16 and, at the time of the meeting, eight applicants had applied for the three openings. Fire leadership and the city administrator described a longer-term plan to add three firefighters per year over several years to raise minimum staffing toward regional benchmarks and address rising concurrent call volume. The city reported the fire division responds to nearly 3,600 calls a year and said concurrent-call volume has increased, straining capacity.
Compensation and recruitment: The committee discussed pay ranges and competition for lateral hires. Staff said the firefighter-paramedic salary range set in the labor contract is $72,176 to $91,910 and that regional competition has reduced applicant pools compared with historical levels. Fire leadership and the city administrator urged reliance on data — response times, concurrent-call metrics and outcomes — to justify future staffing requests.
Procedural next steps: The deputy chief interviews will begin this week with an assessment center coordinated by the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association; the first round of interviews is scheduled for Feb. 16. The committee acknowledged the hiring work will continue with the administration and with council as needed.
