Firefighters, just like everyone else, have been affected by COVID-19 and the restrictions that have been in place for the last year and a half. But unlike so many other workers, firefighters can’t work from home or respond to fire calls virtually.
Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell said his department has faced challenges during the pandemic but he praised his team of firefighters for their loyalty and dedication to their jobs.
“We’ve seen a lot of turnover here recently,” Cordell told John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk. Some staff have moved to jobs in related fields and others have decided to take a completely different line of work.
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After a dip in the number of calls at the onset of the pandemic, he said the department is again responding to an average of 250 calls each month – about 60 percent are medical-related and about 40 percent are fire and rescue calls.
Cordell said his firefighters get good information from the dispatchers, who know the right questions to ask to learn if anyone is COVID-positive that firefighters may come into contact with when they go out on a call.
“We treat everyone as if they are a positive case,” he said, and his firefighters will wear a mask when they are off duty and in public, just to make sure that everyone is staying safe.
As the fire department works to recruit and retain firefighters in the short-term, Cordell said he is hopeful that plans for construction of a third station in west Henderson also will come to fruition.
“We’re still on the table,” he said of the plans for the new station. He and others have been taking with developers and looking at different spots to purchase.
He also said plans to reorganize and reclassify some departments and positions within the department should be brought to City Council for consideration next month.
Battalion Chief Joel Bartholomew is leaving after 15 years of service to become director of emergency services in his native Warren County, a move Cordell called “bittersweet.” He called Bartholomew a loyal and dedicated employee, and added “watching him develop and grow has been a blessing and an honor.”
One step toward “normal” for the department involves Capt. Lee Edmonds, who works with fire prevention education. The pandemic put the brakes on firefighters getting into schools to talk with children about fire prevention. With the start of school just around the corner, Cordell said everyone’s looking forward to restart the “Read A Book With A Firefighter” program. Firefighters read with kindergartners, help them with homework and just enjoy time with young learners.
Cordell said he has a great team who is working hard every day “to keep our feet grounded and trucks staffed and moving to help the people of Henderson.”