MOUNT VERNON – The Mount Vernon Fire Department swore in two new firefighters and promoted two officers on Tuesday at City Hall.
Trevor Williams was promoted to captain, while Josh Lester was promoted to lieutenant. Kyle Campbell and Nicholas Light were sworn in as firefighters.
“It’s a great day for the guys, an important day,” fire chief Chad Christopher said. “We’re excited to have the new guys on board. We’re excited to have the new officers.
“All of them are playing important roles in our department as we move forward and I believe we’ve got individuals that are going to embrace their new roles and hopefully have a longevity with the department.”
Williams will be the third captain in the department, filling a position that opened up last year Mount Vernon Fire Department was able to commit to full staffing. Lester will serve as the EMS training coordinator, switching from shift work to a 40-hour work week. Williams and Lester have served in the department for the last 12 years.
Campbell and Light will work on separate crews and are also a part of the recent staff expansion.
“We’re busier than ever, so filling all these key positions and roles and hiring extra firefighters, it’s only going to make our department run better and better serve our community,” Christopher said.
All four men were sworn in and given new badges. While Williams and Lester had already been working with the department, Campbell and Light are also already in the field after arriving two months ago to complete training.
Williams and Lester had to perform well on their Civil Service Exam to be considered for promotion. They were then tested once more to further narrow the field. In Williams’ case, he was chosen from all the department’s lieutenants for the position of captain. Lester had been on the prospective lieutenant list and moved up to that role after performing well on tests.
“It was a long testing process that we do. They really grill us,” Williams said.
While Williams will be in charge of a third crew of firefighters, Lester will be stepping into Williams’ old position as EMS training coordinator. Christopher felt confident that both Williams and Lester will lead the department in the right direction moving forward.
“With Captain Williams, he’s the first one that’s going to come through the EMS coordinator training position, and I think we’re going to see how important that is, to take those steps. He did a great job in that position for us in the little over a year he had that, but I think that’s really going to help him develop his skills (in) leading others,” Christopher said. “I’m sure his progression is not going to stop there, at the captain level.
“Josh has a good vision of what he wants our department to become on EMS and training and we feel he’ll achieve those goals.”
Williams, 33, reflected on what it means to be promoted to captain and to continue to serve his hometown.
“Josh and I got hired together. So it’s been kind of a fun over-a-decade with him, as we grew up together. We’re trying to put everything we’ve learned and trained on and went to school for into practice,” Williams said. “So now, we have a chance to start to give back, is how I see it – give back to not only the community, because that’s obviously our number one priority, (but also to) help the crews that we’re leading.
“It’s enjoyable to be in the town that you were a part of, and it actually makes it a little easier to figure out the area, I think. You know, fire/EMS is everywhere, but being able to do the same town where my mom lives, there’s just something special about that.”
Campbell, 22, also grew up in Knox County. He is excited to serve the area and that his experience with the staff has been positive so far.
“It’s a great opportunity to be with a great group of guys,” Campbell said. “Just to be able to serve the community… this is hometown for me, so it’s really great.”
The Mount Vernon Fire Department is now fully-staffed, according to Christopher, with three captains, three lieutenants, an EMS training coordinator and a full team of firefighters.
2017 was the busiest year on record for the fire department, according to its website. The department answered 4,050 EMS calls and 1,322 fire calls for 5,372 emergency incidents.
The department also took on the responsibility of providing fire and EMS services to Liberty Township, adding 26 square miles to its coverage area for a total of 80 square miles. The move added 1,500 residents to the department’s coverage area, bringing the estimated total resident count for the area to 23,000.
