By Sandi Latimer
Staff Writer
The Jackson Township Fire Department divided up the fire prevention and EMS duties and named a fire marshal to handle fire prevention.
Sworn in as fire marshal at the Jackson Township Trustees June 28 meeting was firefighter Scott Burris.
“We’ve been trying to separate the two divisions for a long time,” said Fire Chief Randy Little prior to the swearing-in ceremony.
Burris’ new position will have him handling public education, fire prevention and code enforcement programs.
“We were looking for someone who could integrate the programs, be organized and be a hard worker,” Little said of this new position.
Burris is the son of the board chairman David Burris, himself a retired firefighter from Franklin Township.
“Scott did it all by himself,” his father said.
As is traditional, David Burris will swear in the new firefighters then offer a firm handshake, followed by handshakes from other trustees, fire leaders and the township’s financial officer and administrator. But this time, after Burris performed the swearing-in ceremony, instead of a handshake, he and his son tightly embraced.
“Nothing is any better than the pinning of the badge on my son,” said David Burris.
Also added to the firefighting force were Matthew Kimbleton as a full-tine firefighter, and Clay Doles and Ryan Hickey as fire technicians on a part-time basis.
Trustees and State Rep. Cheryl Grossman of Grove City also recognized the EMS director Dr. Robert Lowe as Ohio’s EMS Director of the Year.
Lowe has been working with Jackson Township since 2007. It is one of 10 fire departments in central Ohio where he works with the EMS units, providing the high-quality area residents have come to know.
Lowe said the honors heaped on him in recent weeks are “reflective of the people I get to work with.”
