Orlando Sentinel
CLERMONT, Fla. — Nine new Fire Department recruits will be sworn in Friday — the largest group hired in eight years, according to fire Chief Carle Bishop.
The hires were made possible thanks to a $1.3 million Federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant that pays the new firefighters’ salaries and benefits for two years for rookies and three years for the three veterans among the group.
“These new recruits will allow us to provide expanded service and maintain the exceptional standards that our fire department has always prided itself on,” City Manager Darren Gray said in a news release.
The county recently approved an interlocal service boundary agreement calling for a new joint station on east State Road 50 that will be staffed by Clermont and county firefighters.
The new firefighters have been in the midst of orientation for the past two weeks that includes hands-on training and becoming familiar with Clermont’s three fire stations, according to the city.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, is set for 3 p.m. at the Clermont Arts & Recreation Center, 3700 S. U.S. Highway 27.
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