Future employees of the Silver Lake Fire Public Works Department will be required to join the Silver Lake Fire Department as a condition of employment, after action taken by the Village Board Wednesday.
Current employees will be grandfathered from the policy, though one of the two employees is already a fire department member, said Trustee Pat Dunn.
The policy is an attempt to help ensure sufficient staffing for the fire department during the daytime hours when many village residents are away at work.
New hires will have one month to apply for membership on the department and three months to complete certification, the policy states. Extensions of the training period can be granted by the chairman of the village Emergency Services Committee.
The village pays for the basic training of new firefighters, but is reimbursed for that cost by the state, said Trustee David Snow, a member of the fire department. If a trainee fails or does not complete training, they are then responsible for the costs.
Training takes about four months or a typical academic semester.
