There will be a handful of new faces on the Winamac Volunteer Fire Department, following a decision made by council members Monday night.
Fire Chief Bill Weaver came before the board to discuss a recent application process that resulted in four individuals being selected to join the department.
The chosen applicants are Cody Fox, Brandon Degroot, Frances Check and Cody Spencer. Chief Weaver said all of the applicants were very energetic during their interviews and they seemed like they’d all be good fits for the department.
Weaver shared that another beneficial characteristic of the applicants is that they all work locally. He said Fox works for the Winamac Fish and Wildlife Area, Degroot is an employee for Proscapes, Check works part-time for the Pulaski County maintenance department and Spencer works for Braun’s.
Chief Weaver noted that with the addition of these four new individuals, the number of active firefighters on the department will be bumped up to 17. They have a total of 19 firefighters that are technically on the department but two haven’t been active for a while, according to Weaver.
Council President Tom Murray asked if any of the applicants have prior training. Chief Weaver responded the men are not trained and he is currently taking steps to get them into the required training class as soon as possible.
Members gave their verbal approval of the chosen applicants and permitted Chief Weaver to proceed with the hiring process.
