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Painesville council adopts funding to hire three firefighters to ease overtime and increased calls
Summary
Council adopted an appropriation ordinance to hire three additional firefighters, increasing shift strength from eight to nine to address a roughly 40% increase in call volume and reduce overtime; the hire requires a civil service test and is expected to take 60–90 days.
Painesville City Council on May 18 adopted an appropriations amendment to fund the hiring of three additional firefighters, moving each shift from eight to nine personnel.
Fire Chief Tom Hummel told Council that call volume has risen about 40 percent since 2012 and that the department has struggled to maintain staffing without significant overtime. "Adding three firefighters would relieve shift‑fill overtime currently required to maintain a daily available staffing of six," the chief said, and he confirmed that the city’s general fund can support the hires.
Chief Hummel said the department requires paramedic certification for new hires and currently lacks a sufficiently large candidate pool; he estimated the hiring process will require a 45‑day posting for testing and an additional interview/selection process, with an overall timeline of roughly 60–90 days from posting to hire. He also said no facility modifications would be needed to accommodate the additional personnel.
Council suspended the usual rules and adopted the ordinance on first reading by a 6‑0 roll‑call vote (recorded as ORDINANCE 14‑26). The ordinance appropriates funds for the positions; the minutes do not show detailed line‑item figures beyond staff assurances the general fund can support the change.
Next steps: the administration will post the civil‑service test and proceed with recruitment and hiring steps; Chief Hummel said completing those steps will be necessary before the new firefighters can be on shift.
