In hockey, it’s called a “hat trick”. The Coos Bay Fire Department (CBFD) has been awarded three grants within the last 60 days worth a whopping $2.8 million, the department said in a Facebook post recently.
The first grant was $1.1 million from Business Oregon, written by Chief Anderson, to seismically upgrade the Eastside Fire Station. The next was a $100,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Energy, written by Battalion Chief John Guenther, to repair the HVAC system at Fire Station No. 1. The third grant, from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), written by Battalion Chief Jeff Adkins, was just under $1.6 million for an apprentice program.
The apprentice program, similar to other trades, is designed to mentor and train new recruits through on-the-job learning to become skilled laborers. Apprentices will earn a salary of $4,100 per month with full benefits throughout the two-year training period. The grant provides funding for the hiring of five apprentices.
BOLI is particularly interested in recruiting candidates that are typically underrepresented within the fire service industry. Therefore, the CBFD is encouraging women, minorities (including persons of color and Indigenous Americans) to consider a career in the fire service. The department will be actively recruiting and accepting applications for the apprentice program from mid-August until mid-September, with an anticipated start date sometime in early November.
For more information about the apprentice program or how to apply, please contact the Coos Bay Fire Department at jadkins@coosbayor.gov or City of Coos Bay, Human Resources Department at 541-269-8915.
Congratulations to the CBFD staff for their resourcefulness!
