Parkersburg council discusses emergency training, police hire

A longer than usual city council meeting last Monday night included extended conversations on training for Parkersburg’s fire and ambulance department members and the city’s potential hiring of a 19-year-old reserve police officer.

Jeremiah Hook explained the cost and curriculum of an online course that would help firefighters and EMS volunteers keep up their certification, but councilman Mike Timmer expressed immediate skepticism—questioning both the general usefulness and potential hidden fees.

“I’ve been burned by these incremental charges, and we end up paying a lot more than we’re originally quoted,” he said. “(And) I’m playing devil’s advocate here, but I can do a lot of online training, and I can go online and click to the end to take the quiz. And I don’t learn a damn thing.”

Timmer added that if he had more information, it would be easier to “sell to the taxpayer” and eventually encouraged the council to table the matter until it could be further scrutinized.

EMTs need at least 24 hours of training or training equivalents every two years.

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Parkersburg Eclipse News-Review

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