Hiram council weighs four staffing proposals as Fire/EMS faces coverage gaps and rising payroll share

HIRAM, Ohio — Hiram Village leaders on March 5 reviewed a yearlong assessment of Fire/EMS operations that showed persistent coverage gaps, rising payroll costs and a set of four staffing proposals aimed at stabilizing service.

Mayor Anne Haynam and Fiscal Officer McKenna Miller told council members that the department handled 570 runs in 2025, including 110 mutual-aid calls, and that about 23% of calendar days had no calls. Staff said roughly 90% of runs were medical calls and that full coverage (two staff on site, 24/7) occurred on 54% of days in 2025; in January and February 2026 full-coverage rates fell to 42% and 43%, respectively. The presentation reported $15,530 in overtime wages for 2025 and estimated a cost per run (excluding mutual aid) of $1,026.48.

Council members reviewed budget details showing payroll consuming an increasing share of the department’s budget: 75% in 2025 and a projected 82% in 2026, with payroll appropriations of $451,280 of the $597,000 total. Finance staff also reported $200,000 in unspent funds at the end of 2025 (not restricted to capital), including $50,000 that had been budgeted for payroll but left unspent; those balances were placed into a fire reserve fund now reported at $630,000.

To address coverage and cost concerns, Mayor Haynam and Miller presented four staffing proposals: Proposal 1 would hire a full-time chief on a three-year salary schedule and use part-time staff; Proposal 2 keeps a full-time chief but pairs one on-duty part-time employee with an on-call, home-based worker; Proposal 3 would use a part-time chief and multiple $20/hour positions with an option to waive fire certification for some full-time EMS-focused hires and recruit nursing students from Hiram College; and Proposal 4 would largely maintain the existing structure while highlighting payroll scenarios under current pay rates.

Haynam described the Proposal 1 chief role as a "teaching chief," envisioned to focus on staff development, recruiting and culture change. Council discussion touched on trade-offs among salary, guaranteed coverage and recruitment strategies, and members asked staff to research whether the village’s cost per run is comparable to peer communities and to provide monthly data on the college’s share of calls.

Council discussed using reserve funds, the possibility of forming a joint Fire/EMS district with the township (which the township is reportedly working on), and the operational advantages of a full-time chief. Members agreed to continue the discussion at the regular council meeting scheduled for March 17 and considered scheduling another working session.

At 7:41 p.m., Councilmember Chris Szell moved to convene an executive session for hiring and promotions pursuant to O.R.C. section 121.22; Suzann Bennett seconded and the motion passed 6–0. The council left executive session at 9:07 p.m. and immediately approved adjournment.

The council recorded several procedural unanimous motions during the meeting, including approval of the agenda and the adjournment vote. Details on personnel actions discussed in executive session were not disclosed in the public minutes.