GAHANNA, Ohio – Mifflin Township Division of Fire leadership, township elected officials and Gahanna leaders were on hand to swear in nine new firefighters in a formal ceremony on Wednesday evening at Station 131, 475 Rocky Fork Blvd. in Gahanna.

The graduates, sworn in by Township Trustees Lynn Stewart, Dick Angelou, Kevin Cavener and Fiscal Officer Rick Duff, include Thomas Coyne (Lansing, OH), Devon Lee (Gahanna, OH), Nicholas Leidheiser (Columbus, OH), Nicholas Marcum (Gahanna, OH), Scott Meyer (Columbus, OH), Jacob Naro (Columbus, OH), Henry Oberling (Westerville, OH), Gregory Parks (Columbus, OH) and Marcus Rieneke (Columbus, OH).

The extensive selection process included a series of job-related assessments designed to identify the best candidates. The hiring process includes examining attributes expected of a firefighter including physical capabilities, overall mental health, ability to work under pressure, technical knowledge, relational skills, and others. All applicants were required to possess a state of Ohio Firefighter II and a state of Ohio EMT-Paramedic certification prior to applying for the firefighter position. The township’s own intensive training program reinforces basic training and acclimates them to our way of firefighting and providing EMS. The training included more than 10 weeks of hands-on skills practice designed to provide the training needed to respond safely and effectively to emergencies in the township. Drills covered emergency scenarios such as fire attack, search and rescue, hose evolutions, rapid intervention teams and emergency paramedical procedures.

“We are proud of this new class and extremely confident that they will continue to uphold the rich tradition of service excellence and personal care established by Mifflin Township.” said Mifflin Township Fire Chief Dr. Frederick Kauser. “This class is beginning their career at an unprecedented time, both in terms of the global pandemic and an intensifying need for public service employees to establish trust and set the highest possible standard with the residents we serve.”

According to Kauser, the nine new firefighters will be divided equally between three, 24-hour shifts. Roughly 25 firefighters are assigned to every 24-hour shift, serving approximately 40,000 residents in both Gahanna and the unincorporated portion of the township.

“Publicly funded agencies have felt the economic pinch over the last year, yet we are focused on serving our citizens with the highest level of service possible, while still balancing the fiscal constraints placed on our fire division due to the pandemic,” said Lynn Stewart, Chair, Mifflin Township Board of Trustees. “As our citizens welcome these new members to our fire division, we also want to recognize that they are filling the shoes of retired or soon-to-be retired firefighters in our service. We thank all our firefighters, whether they are at the start of their career or transitioning to retirement.”

Mifflin Township has a fire department that serves the city of Gahanna and unincorporated township areas. The division has four fire stations and employs more than 80 full time firefighter/paramedics, fire prevention officers and dispatchers. In 2020, Mifflin Township firefighters responded to more than 11,095 calls for emergency service, making it one of the busiest suburban fire divisions in central Ohio.

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Media Contact:

Melissa Rapp, Public Information Officer

Office: (614) 471-4494

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