Cedar Lake council approves revised firefighter training reimbursement agreement to aid recruitment

The Cedar Lake Town Council on July 7 approved a change to the town's fire department training reimbursement agreement intended to improve recruitment and retention of firefighter‑EMTs.

"The term went from 60 months to 36 months and the amount went from $10,000 to $7,500," Fire Chief Mogger told the council while summarizing edits to the agreement, adding that the word "paramedic" was removed in multiple places and that Section 3 was made non‑applicable to previously certified firefighter‑paramedics. He said the reduction reflects the town's decision to remove the $3,500 portion that had been designated for PPE and to focus reimbursements on training costs.

Chief Mogger said the department uses a one‑year probation and then, when appropriate, sends firefighters to paramedic school; the revised repayment schedule is designed so an employee who completes paramedic school and serves on the road for a year would fulfill the obligation within 36 months. Clerk Treasurer Sandberg and town attorney were listed as having worked on the edits and the Cedar Lake Board of Safety had given a favorable recommendation.

Council members thanked staff and the Board of Safety for their work and approved the resolution by unanimous roll call. The council's action introduces and approves the resolution amending hiring and training reimbursement agreements; implementation will require updated agreement forms and administrative processing by the clerk treasurer's office.