Liberty hires 3 for firefighters | News, Sports, Jobs

Staff Photo/Daniel Newman New Liberty firefighters, from left, Alec Corman, Dylan Campbell and Eric Lyszaz, take the oath of office before Law Director Cherry Poteet and Fire Chief Doug Theobald during the Township of Trustees meeting Monday.

LIBERTY — Trustees recognized the retirement of a longtime firefighter Monday before swearing in three additions to the fire department and a police chaplain.

Captain Inspector Cathy Macchione retired from the Liberty Township Fire Department after serving as a member for 26 years. She was the first woman to be promoted to full-time status at Liberty.

“It’s really bittersweet.” Macchione said. “It’s the best job in the world and we need people who can do it. Either you can or you can't. I was lucky enough to be able to do it for this long, as a lucky guy.

Macchione continued: “I tell everyone new to take care of their body, because that's what finally convinced me. Take care of your body, and it will take care of you.

A career in firefighting interested Macchione, she said, because her grandfather was one of Liberty's first volunteer firefighters. “You have to have a very loyal attitude, and I did that,”she says. “Having a great family support system, that’s what I’ve had this whole time; have good people there to teach you, and you can make it happen.

The retired firefighter said she would like to work for the Liberty Local School District in the future. “I was born and raised Liberty” Macchione said. “I want to stay in the community, that’s what I tell everyone. Just because I'm leaving here doesn't mean you're done seeing me.

ENSURE

Alec Corman, Eric Lyszaz and Dylan Campbell were sworn in as full-time firefighters for Liberty Professional Firefighters Association Local 2075. As members of the Liberty Township Fire Department, they will enroll in paramedic training programs, Fire Chief Doug Theobald said.

“Paramedic school is a year of your life that you will never return from” » said Theobald. “Most schools start with an anatomy and physiology course in June, then classes begin in August and end in June, with the culmination of passing the state exams.”

Theobald said Ohio now also offers firefighters the opportunity to become nationally registered paramedics. “That’s more than 1,000 hours of classes, hospital work and ambulance rides,” » said Theobald. “You have to go through the emergency room, child labor, surgical units and be able to do so many intubations and administer so many medications and things like that. It is therefore a highly qualified program. It definitely challenges you to give up your life to follow the program.

Issues with class scheduling and firefighters' shifts can create problems, Theobald said, because the department may lose money due to overtime or be forced to ask firefighters to swap shifts. vacation.

“With this new program, the course is taught several times a week” » said Theobald.

“So this will allow us to have them attend classes with little or no burden on the firefighters, as far as scheduling leave.” This, coupled with the Trumbull County Worker Program, will help supplement costs of between $5,000 and $6,000 for paramedic courses alone, not including labor costs. Since they cover about 90% of the costs, it makes it much more manageable for us.

Corman and Campbell will participate in the Auburn Career Center program at University Hospitals of Portage County, while Lyszaz will complete hybrid training online.

Pastor Randy Bartlett was sworn in as chaplain for the Liberty Township Police Department. Prior to his employment with the police department, Bartlett was a founding member of the Children's Directory at the Transformation Church Ministry in Pennsylvania.

“These are people who help our police department, they don’t get paid, they just do it because they want to help others and that’s what it’s all about.” » said Police Chief Toby Meloro.

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