By Destiniee Jaram
cleveland.com
STOW, Ohio — Facing an unexpected wave of retirements and a shrinking pool of qualified firefighter-paramedics, Stow officials are expanding the city’s hiring process in an effort to prevent future staffing shortages.
The Stow Civil Service Commission voted May 5 to authorize a new firefighter entrance examination and combine the results with the department’s existing eligibility list, creating what officials hope will be a larger and more sustainable pool of candidates.
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The decision comes as the department prepares for several retirements, including one firefighter who recently announced plans to retire after reaching 25 years of service.
“We are experiencing a few more retirements than we expected,” Fire Chief Mark Stone told commissioners.
Stone said the department has already hired five firefighters from its current eligibility list.
The challenge is not simply finding applicants. It’s finding applicants who meet the specialized demands of today.
Although 32 candidates are in the highest tier of the city’s eligibility list, many cannot be hired because they lack paramedic certification, which Stow requires for employment.
For Stone, the staffing challenge illustrates how the profession has evolved.
Improved building codes and fire prevention measures have reduced the number of structure fires over the decades, while communities’ demand for emergency services has increased dramatically.
The Stow Fire Department now responds to around 6,000 calls annually; roughly double the 3,000 calls it handled when Stone joined the department in 2000.
Most of those calls are medical emergencies. Stone said between 75% and 80% of the department’s annual calls are EMS-related, making emergency medical services the primary function of today’s fire departments.
The trend is not unique to Stow. In neighboring Copley Township, EMS incidents accounted for roughly 73% of emergency calls in 2025, according to township records.
As medical calls have become the majority of emergency responses, fire departments increasingly seek firefighter-paramedics rather than firefighters alone.
The situation reflects a broader shift occurring in fire departments across Northeast Ohio and the country.
When Stone began his firefighting career, jobs routinely attracted hundreds or even thousands of applicants. Early in his career, Stone recalled roughly 2,500 people took an Akron firefighter examination, and in 2000, 350 applicants took Stow’s test.
Today, those numbers are far smaller.
Of Stow’s most recent hiring pool of 112 applicants, around five were hired. Currently, Stone said the staff has increased to 54 sworn firefighters, “out of necessity.”
While Stow can send recruits through a fire academy if needed, paramedic training typically requires about a year to complete, making qualified candidates harder to find.
Some candidates are currently enrolled in paramedic school and could become eligible in the coming months, but officials said the department needs a larger hiring pool as retirements continue.
“[Candidates] are few and far between,” Stone said at the meeting.
To avoid staffing shortages, Stow has worked to hire and train firefighters before anticipated retirements occur. New recruits undergo a yearlong probationary process that includes extensive hands-on training, building familiarization, equipment certification and department-specific instruction.
Competition among departments further complicates the process.
Stone said qualified firefighter-paramedics are often hired quickly by neighboring agencies, forcing departments to maintain larger candidate pools.
“What we do see in our industry is these people do get snatched up quite readily and go to other agencies,” he said.
The newly approved examination is intended to ensure that the process continues uninterrupted.
Officials said combining the new eligibility list with the current roster will provide greater flexibility as retirements occur and as candidates complete paramedic training.
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