The Algood Fire Department is looking to hire its first-ever full-time firefighter.
The addition comes a year after the city added a full-time fire chief position. Algood Fire Chief David Judd said the city council saw the need for a full-time firefighter as Algood continues to grow.
“They have been a real blessing, kind of seeing the need that this city has and planning for that,” Judd said. “This is just another step in that direction, we hope to continue to grow. The city is growing. Algood is an amazing place to live, and we just want to continue contributing to that.”
Judd said currently, the fire department is made up of 20 volunteers, and often times, there is no one at the station when a call comes in. Judd said the full-time firefighter will be at the station during the busiest hours of the day.
“We typically have a pretty well documented response time, but having someone at the station who is dedicated, whose job is to get that truck out the door, that’s gonna cut down,” Judd said.
Judd said the addition will go beyond helping response times to fires. Judd said the firefighter will need ot be medically trained. Judd said the firefighter will help improve the department’s services.
“We just don’t run to the fires, we do wrecks, extrication, we run medical calls,” Judd said. “If somebody is having a stroke, you know, they have what we call the golden hour, so a quicker response, getting there and getting somebody that is medically trained that can start providing care, that is gonna improve the overall patient outcome.”
Algood is currently taking applications for the position. Judd said the goal is to have the position filled before July 1.
