[ back ]
Prairie Township strengthens fire department
(by Megan Edwards, Staff Writer - June 04, 2009)
The Prairie Township Fire Department is strengthening its part-time staff in anticipation of upcoming vacations taken by full-time staff members.
At their June 3 meeting, the Prairie Township trustees approved the hiring of three part-time dispatchers effective June 4.
Samuel Keller, Gary Waples and Brandy Rose will work as part-time dispatchers in the fire department for $9 an hour.
All three have prior experience in dispatching, according to Fire Chief Steve Feustel. Keller works full-time as a MedFlight dispatcher, and Waples is a former Prairie Township firefighter and dispatched for the department years ago. Rose works full-time as a dispatcher with Critical Care.
Feustel told the trustees that firefighter Mike Altomore passed the Certified Fire Investigator requirements through the International Association of Arson Investigators.
"He has achieved something that for Prairie Township, is a great thing," Feustel said. "He is now capable of being considered an expert witness in court."
Other Prairie Township news
•The trustees announced a walking audit will take place in Lincoln Village South and around Stiles Elementary School at 9 a.m. June 23. The Stiles Elementary School portion is a part of a Safe Routes to School program, which is funded through the Ohio Department of Transportation. The program encourages students to walk and bike to school safely.
The township approached the school in December, to help launch the program as a pilot project. Officials involved with the program and school as well as law enforcement authorities, hosted a workshop meeting to release information about the program. More than 517 residents also received a flier in the mail regarding the program.
Parents who completed a survey identified barriers that prevented their children walking or biking to school, to be lack of sidewalks, unsafe intersections or crossings, convenience of driving and a fear of crime. Officials will use the data to help develop solutions to overcome the barriers. The township must develop a Safe Routes to School travel plan in order to be eligible for funding some of the solutions voiced by parents.
Community members are encouraged to attend the event and RSVP attendance by e-mailing thatmaker@prairietownship.org or heather.bowden@stantec.com.
•The trustess approved placing a welcome sign at U.S. 40 and Hubbard Road. The sign is a result of a $5,000 grant from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. The township's share of the sign is $3,321.
[ back ]
