SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — Sevier County is hiring its first group of paid firefighters. David Puckett, the chief of Sevier Co. Fire/Rescue, said this move will help them save more lives and properties.
Earlier this year, the county's commissioners approved funding from the fire protection fund that would allow them to hire 12 firefighters. These firefighters will serve the county and will be available to help departments across Sevier.
Candidates took the agility test at the Sevier County Fire Chief's Association Training Center. Andrew Wojturski is one of the applicants who underwent this test and he has already been working as a volunteer firefighter.
"I enjoy helping and doing when being a part of the fire department... just the family that I've gotten from the fire department," Wojturski said. "It's just testing to see if we are physically fit enough to be a part of the job."
Wojturski was originally born and raised in New Jersey. When he arrived in East Tennessee he already had a passion for helping other people.
He has been working as a volunteer for almost a year with the Sevier County Fire Department and when he saw they were hiring for a full-time paid position, he decided to go for it.
Besides the group of 12 firefighters, Sevier County is also looking for positions of fire inspector and permit technician. And Puckett said this move will make a huge difference
"When the call comes in, we're able to rapidly respond out and to provide that aid. Sevier County is a phenomenal county and we have many volunteer agencies, they run over 6000 calls a year with these volunteers," Puckett said. "More lives saved, more property saved and less loss."
There are a couple of volunteer districts that have safer grants, and have folks pulling standby time at the station. That's where Sevier County saw they were having great results, Puckett said, and decided to move forward with paid firefighters.
Whether they are a volunteer or a career firefighter, Puckett said they are professional firefighters responding to the number of calls. They still have to attend training regularly.
For this new group, the next step of the hiring process is a written exam.
"I'm very optimistic and very aggressive on my timetable, I would really like to see Nov. 1, that is my ultimate goal for the first round group and depends on the process and how that goes," Puckett said. " But definitely, by the end of this year, I want to have those folks in place. And my overall goal is for a safer Sevier County. I want to reduce those response times, increase public safety and increase firefighter safety."
The biggest test for first responders is when duty calls, that's when the real assessment happens.
"Your adrenaline's pumping, it's a lot of things going through your mind because of all the stuff that you've went through with the training, the academy training on your own, and you're actually getting to put it to use so it is definitely a lot all at once," Wojturski said. "But the training pays off in the end and it helps you get through that situation."