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Northfield council confirms two firefighters to full‑time roles; chief says staffing now stable
Summary
The Village of Northfield on May 13 approved emergency resolutions promoting Elizabeth Duncan and Jessica Mowrey to full‑time firefighter/paramedic positions and swore them in, a move the fire chief said meets the department's staffing goals.
Fire Chief Jason Buss said May 13 that the Village of Northfield has reached a milestone after council approved emergency resolutions confirming Elizabeth Duncan and Jessica Mowrey as full‑time firefighter/paramedics and swearing them in at the meeting.
Chief Buss told council the department has come a long way since 1999, when volunteers were poorly equipped and the department briefly disbanded after a truck failed to start during a structure fire response. He said weekend coverage was added in 2001 and the Village hired its first full‑time firefighter, Joe Zemek, in June 2015. The recent appointments, he said, will help the department meet the Village's goal of staffing at least four people per shift and stabilize staffing for years to come.
Law Director Brad Bryan read Resolution Nos. 2026‑19 and 2026‑20 by title. Council voted to suspend the three‑reading rule and then adopted the two emergency appointment resolutions in roll call votes. The motion to suspend the three‑reading rule was moved by Kevin Lewis and seconded by Gary Vojtush; the adoption motion was moved by Mr. Vojtush and seconded by Alan Hipps. Roll calls recorded affirmative votes from Zach Hebebrand, Renell Noack, Gary Vojtush, Nick Magistrelli, Alan Hipps and Kevin Lewis; no negative votes or recusals were recorded in the minutes.
Chief Buss introduced Duncan and Mowrey as former part‑time department members who performed well in interviews. He swore in the new full‑time hires and family members pinned their badges. The new expanded full‑time firefighter schedule will begin June 1, Chief Buss said, and he thanked Mayor Jenn Domzalski and council for approving the additional staffing.
The appointments were framed as a personnel and public‑safety measure; Chief Buss noted the department now provides more mutual aid to neighboring municipalities than it receives. The minutes record no formal opposition to the appointments. The council did not attach additional conditions to the resolutions in the recorded motion.
The council packet and minutes show the formal documents as Resolution No. 2026‑19 (Elizabeth Duncan appointment) and Resolution No. 2026‑20 (Jessica Mowrey appointment). The candidates' prior service as part‑time firefighters was recorded in the meeting notes.
