Buckeye Lake swears in firefighters, names Jerry Brooks Fire Chief; police report festival staffing and new cruiser

Mayor Linda Goodman administered oaths on July 28 for several new members of the Buckeye Lake Fire Department and formalized department leadership.

Goodman swore in Firefighter/EMTs Joseph Simpson, Grace Varanelli and Emerson Szewczyk‑White. Doug Sanderson was promoted to captain but was not present at the meeting. Jerry Brooks was sworn in as Fire Chief; Brooks had been serving as interim chief and thanked council and staff for support.

Brooks reported operational metrics for the previous month: 70 total runs (55 emergency medical services and 15 fire runs), one working fire, 22 transports, eight mutual‑aid fire runs given and seven mutual‑aid EMS runs received. He noted both engines passed pump tests, ladders passed inspection, new tires were placed on Engine 922, and a bay door opener was repaired.

Police Chief Jason Harget congratulated the Fire Department and described policing at the recent BLAS ST event. Harget thanked the BLAS ST committee for providing funds to pay for special‑duty officers, called the event very busy but safe, and noted the new cruiser (Cruiser 803) will need a few visibility upgrades; he also observed that towers can become overloaded during large events, producing busy signals when calling dispatch.

There were no citizen comments on agenda items during the meeting. Council members used closing comments to praise the department hires and equipment upgrades and to note continuing investments in public safety and public works equipment such as a planned dump truck purchase.

What’s next: New fire personnel will be added to department rosters and scheduled for training and inspections; the police department will complete outfitting Cruiser 803 and consider disposition of the old vehicle (possible GovDeals sale for parts).