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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 24, 2006 Medford police and fire get 10 new hires By Meg Landers Mail Tribune The Medford City Council Thursday decided to evenly split revenue from a recently approved public safety fee between the city's police and fire departments, which will each get five new hires. "We would be more than willing to donate half the money to the police department," Medford Fire Chief Dave Bierwiler joked at the council meeting Thursday. Both departments have begun reviewing candidates and hope to hire new officers and firefighters in the next couple months. The 10 positions will be funded by a new $2.60 public safety fee that will appear on all municipal utility bills for residential and commercial units in the city beginning Jan. 1. The council OK'd the fee this month. The fee will generate $1 million annually. The fee was approved in part because of an ongoing increase in response times due to the city's growing population. Police response times have grown from 4 to 10 minutes in six years. Currently fire personnel respond to 62 percent of emergency calls within 5 minutes, which the department hopes to increase to 90 percent. Medford Police Chief Eric Mellgren said 10 candidates for MPD are currently under review. Advertisement "We're trying to target a March 1 hire," he said. Mellgren said there's a variety of background experience and training among the candidates, which will determine how soon there will be new officers hitting the streets. "If they were pre-certified they would be active this summer," he said, adding that those without experience would undergo a 16-week academy and 15-week training to be on patrol in the fall. He said the additional positions mean greater safety among the officers and better coverage during peak crime times. Among the peak crime times is the "latch-key hours" between the time children get out of school and parents get home from work. He predicts a reduction in response times and an ability to keep a bad situation from escalating. Bierwiler said a six-week firefighter academy starts in February, so there's a push to have the new people on board by then. He said new hires go through a year-long process of on-the-job training. The new positions will help create an occasional sixth engine company. "That will reduce response times," he said. "There'll be a big improvement with firefighter safety." Bierwiler said the city still needs to find a long-term solution to fund public safety as the population grows. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com