Fire department struggles to fill ranks

MILAN TWP. — Fire Chief Brian Rospert was wrapping up an interview Tuesday at the Milan Township Fire Department when an alarm sounded. During his interview with the Register suddenly terminated, he went to the fire truck, hastily pulling on his turnout gear before getting aboard. Other firefighters rushed in, put on their protective clothing and left in the truck, heading for a serious accident involving a motorcycle. Rospert, 54, who also serves as Milan's village administrator, has a force of more than 30 firefighters willing to drop everything at a moment's notice to suddenly answer calls that are sometimes dangerous and nearly always inconvenient. It's a duty that provides a great sense of camaraderie. But lately, Rospert is struggling to fill out the ranks. His department has 36 positions to staff two fire stations, but it currently has 35 people. Another one will retire on Sept. 7, and another is slated to retire later in the year. "We put it out on (social media that) we are looking for firefighters," he said. "The last attempt, we didn't get any interest." Even five years ago, "We had people waiting in the wings who wanted to come in," Rospert said. It's a struggle that other leaders of small, rural fire departments talk about, too. "It's a general thing," he said, noting that while the part-time job paying little or no money can be exciting, it also offers danger and requires a big-time commitment for training. The state has increased training requirements, making recruitment harder. Joining up as a teen Rospert has been a firefighter for 34 years. He was 19 years old when he joined the Milan department, rising through the ranks until he became the chief in 2011. As a young person, he watched a 1970s TV show about LA firefighters, "Emergency!" It was a drama show, but the producers tried to be technically accurate, and Rospert longed to imitate his heroes. "Watching them on TV, I really wanted to be a firefighter," Rospert said. Eventually, the satisfaction of serving the community and the friendships he developed became the key to sticking around. "As you progress, you can honestly say it's about the community," Rospert said. "The members of this department are the best that Milan Township has to offer. They are willing to risk all to save lives and property." The department's assistant chief, Tom Jesberger, 63, has been aboard for 30 years. Jesberger said he was recruited, and the sales pitch was being close to home. "My brother was on. He had bugged me for a few years to get on," Jesberger said. "I finally said, 'OK.'" Jesberger realized that he liked the sense of camaraderie, being involved with the township and helping people. "It was just a satisfying thing to do," he said. "Being there to help people is a great feeling." The department deals with a variety of emergencies in the Milan area and is assigned a section of the Ohio Turnpike. Pay isn't the main lure Some small fire departments are pure volunteer organizations. Berlin Township firefighters get $1 a year and workers' compensation coverage in case they get injured. But firefighters in Groton Township and Milan get paid per call. Milan firefighters get $20 an hour for two hours if they go on a call and also get small fees for training, but the intermittent nature of the work means they don't make much money. Supervisors and engineers at the fire department make slightly more than rank-and-file firefighters. Rospert said Milan might get 115 calls a year. If the firefighters can make it to 55 incidents, that amounts to about $1,100. Consequently, Rospert worked at Tenneco Automotive to make a living, then became Milan's street supervisor and then took over as the village administrator. Like every other member of the department, Rospert has to make judgment calls on when he can drop everything at a moment's notice. On Tuesday, he missed a meeting of the village council's finance committee because he ran on a big house fire in Perkins Township. But when he had an important village council meeting in July, dealing with water rates and a historic building, he had to skip helping with a shed fire. His assistant chief, Jesberger, is retired now, but he was the production manager for CertainTeed, the building materials company. CertainTeed always was supportive when he had to suddenly leave, Jesberger said. "CertainTeed was very good about that," he said. Company officials were like, "Go do what you have to do." Day to day details To be a firefighter for Milan Township, a willing person must live within five miles of one of the two fire stations. They can expect many hours of training. Calls might come any hour of the day or night. The firefighters carry pagers and have apps on their cellphones that sound off during an emergency. Bunker pants and turnout coats are kept at the station, so when the alarm sounds, it takes only a few moments to pull on protective gear before boarding one the trucks. When a call came in Tuesday for a crash involving a motorcycle, fireman Connor Romell, the owner of Elite Detailing, rode his bike right into the station before grabbing his gear. Rospert did not intend to offer a demonstration — he had just returned from a fire call when he sat down for an interview — but after he had talked to a reporter for about half an hour, his radio emitted a sudden blast. "This is my life," he said, hurrying away.