Mt. Pleasant City Council appoints two to the fire reserve

MT. PLEASANT - Two new faces will soon be making appearances around town with the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department. Mt. Pleasant's city council appointed Joseph Whalen and Jeremy Lee as Fire at their meeting last Wednesday.

City administrator Brent Schleisman explained most people interested in becoming firefighters start as a reserve unit before becoming full-fledged firefighters. Both Whalen and Lee still need to take their Firefighter 1 class and obtain their certificate before they can fully assist during a fire or emergency situation.

'This is kind of step one. It's a pretty typical route. If someone is interested, we put them on a reserve so they can get a taste of it,” Schleisman explained.

The Mt. Pleasant Fire Department has a full roster of 26 volunteer firefighters. With recent retirements, the department is looking for new members to fill empty spots.

'Just like everybody, we have a lot of baby boomers retiring. We're in the rebuilding mode that a lot of communities are in,” Schleisman added.

Lee, one of the new members, said he was motivated to join the reserve because he grew up around the station, especially since his father has worked as a volunteer firefighter for the city for the last 20 years.

'Growing up around it, I remember when the newest truck came in, about ten years ago. I was about 10. There's a picture of me sitting in the driver's seat. What little kid doesn't want to ride in a big firetruck,” he said.

As he waits to take the Firefighter 1 course, Lee will be assisting the department on calls. While he cannot physically go into a burning structure, he can help grab equipment and with other duties from the outside.

Lee added that he's looking forward to continuing to be of service to the city.

'It just makes the community safer and it's good to know if you need something, it will be well taken care of and in good hands. It's nice to be a part of something bigger than myself,” he said.