Last call for POC applications

The White Lake Township Fire Department is currently taking applications from men and women to join their team as paid-on-call (POC) firefighters — but the application period ends tomorrow, Thursday, March 31. Those interested should step up to the plate and serve their community.

According to Fire Chief Tony Maltese, the township is looking for a minimum of four additional POC firefighters to bolster their force and could bring on as many as six or seven. The Board of Trustees, he said, has already given him the authority to have as many as 40 firefighters in the department that serves a community of about 30,000 people.

On-call firefighters must complete certification training, are expected to respond to a minimum number of emergencies and attend training drills at the fire station each month. In addition, Maltese says that firefighters need to be “disciplined individuals of good character and ethics who can be a team player.”

They also have to be at least 18-years-old, a White Lake resident at the time of the application, have a valid drivers license and clean criminal history, as well as have reliable transportation and be a high school graduate or the equivalent.

Those interested can obtain an application online or at the township clerk’s office. All applications must be submitted to the clerk’s office by 5 p.m. tomorrow, March 31. For further requirements, go to www.wltfd.com or call 248-698-3335.

We know there have been cutbacks in many police and fire departments in the midst of the recession, including the laying off of public safety personnel — not just foregoing equipment replacement or attending conferences or seminars. Those interested in the job should gobble up the opportunity to apply while it’s still an option.

Serving your community on the front lines when your neighbors truly need your help is an honorable and needed pursuit in any community. Simply put, municipalities can’t function without public safety personnel like police and firefighters. But beyond that, applicants hired for the job will likely acquire more skills during their tenure with the department, perhaps paving the way for future employment opportunities, as well.

With an economy that’s producing a few signs of life, but not out of the woods yet, job openings are scarce. And at this late juncture, so is time to apply.