Yater, 63, began his career in 1971 as a volunteer with Madison Twp.’s fire crews.
“It’s still just the love of being a fireman and providing a service,” Yater said of his interest in the job.
Yater will earn an annual salary of $29,000, according to City Manager John Jones. In terms of benefits, he will have access to a retired police cruiser as a take-home vehicle. Yater will be expected to work 25 hours per week.
The fire chief job opening attracted the attention of 19 candidates, Jones said. That list was eventually narrowed to four: Yater; Brian Ruhl of the Hamilton Fire Department; Matthew Schuman, who worked with fire departments in Fairfield and Fairfield Twp.; and Christopher Johns of the fire department in Goshen Twp. The four interviewed June 30 before a nine-member panel primarily made up of city administrators and firefighters.
The hope is that Yater’s position is the first of many volunteer fire positions that will become part-time, Jones said. A fire levy will go before voters this fall. If passed, it could generate up to $750,000 a year and convert Trenton’s volunteer base into a part-time staff.
“That’s the goal,” Jones said. “To do that we needed to (first) bring on a part-time chief.”
The fire department — made up of roughly 35 members — is now making about 20 runs per month. Trenton’s emergency medical crew, also part of the department, makes about 100 runs per month.
“Between the two, we’re at about 1,300 department runs for the year,” Jones said.
The number of runs are growing along with the city. Trenton’s population of 8,700 in 2001 has grown about 33 percent to approximately 12,000, Jones said.
Additionally, the city is expanding geographically. It recently annexed about 185 acres near the MillerCoors brewery off Wayne-Madison Road.
“There’s a growing need for a fire department with adequate staffing,” Yater said. “Right now, being all-volunteer, you’re relying on people to donate their time.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or asedlak@coxohio.com.
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