By Sandi Latimer
Staff Writer
The retirement of a Jackson Township firefighter meant a number of promotions within the department and some new hires, as well as drawing numerous guests of those being honored to a special ceremony.
Family and friends of those being honored at the July 14 meeting of the Jackson Township trustees forced the meeting to be moved from the normal location in the township’s administration building to the neighboring fire station on Hoover Road where trucks were moved to the front apron to accommodate a huge crowd.
Lt. Ronald Jahn retired after 27 years of service. He had started in 1986 and went full-time in 1988. He was presented with a proclamation from the trustees in honor of his service, a framed collection of his firefighting memorabilia, and a proclamation from State Rep. Cheryl Grossman.
With his vacancy, several other firefighters were promoted while new people were brought on.
The evening saw the promotion for two new battalion chiefs, a new captain, two new lieutenants as well as the hiring of three full-time firefighters and four part-time fire technicians.
“It’s like monkey move up,” said board president David Burris as he administered the oath of office to all the new firefighters and those promoted.
Scott Bowyer and Shawn Quincel were elevated to battalion chiefs, James Parmenter was named captain and Michael and Alex Maust were named lieutenants.
Hired as full-time firefighters were Ben Hart, Matt Groezinger and Dustin Widmayer.
Coming on as fire techs were Kyle Adkins, John Blankenship, Scott Johnson and Justin Metzger. Fire techs are part-time employees, and many of them work at other departments.
Also at the meeting, Mount Carmel Hospital presented the department with four Zoll AutoPulse Non-Invasive Cardiac Support Pumps. These devices are applied during cardiac arrest and provide a consistent rate of chest compressions and helps improver blood flow.
Use of these devices gives firefighters a respite so they can provide other life-saving techniques to patients on their way to a hospital.
“Every minute counts when handling a medical emergency,” said Chief Rick Dawson. “These devices will provide very high-quality CPR even while moving the patient or traveling down the road. We believe the addition of this equipment will allow our firefighter/paramedics to save even more lives.”
This donation represents the partnership between the department and Mount Carmel Hospital, one of the new businesses in the community.
“Mount Carmel Grove City and Jackson Township have created a strong partnership that is improving patient care,” said Dr. Jarrod Williams, medical director of Mount Carmel Grove City. “We’re extremely grateful that the Mount Carmel Foundation is able to provide the community with this resource.”
