Merced adding two firefighters, but remains below pre-recession tally

Merced’s two newest firefighters wrapped up six weeks of training Friday, coming closer to their goal of joining the department.

The addition of the rookies, who still must “shadow” firefighters for eight more days, would raise total membership to 59, fire officials said.

The tally remains below pre-recession numbers, according to Chief Michael Wilkinson. The department’s peak in 2007 was 77, according to department numbers.

“It’ll take a little while to get back to where we once were,” he said.

Beginning in 2012, the city started using so-called “brownouts,” when an engine was left unstaffed to save money and work around low staffing. But, that practice ended in 2015 when the City Council added funding to the department’s budget.

The two newest hires, Nathaniel Lee, 25, of Atwater and Josh Gehring, also 25, of Modesto, are expected to fill vacant positions, Wilkinson said.

Lee attended Buhach Colony High School, and Gehring went to Oakdale High.

Their trainer, Capt. Morgan Madruga, said each of them has had to pass an agility test. They’ve also faced six weeks of “throwing ladders” and “pulling hose,” Madruga said, to practice “over and over and over again” how to respond to a fire.

“It’s teaching them how to pay attention to detail and to follow orders,” he said.

The new firefighters went through several scenarios on Friday, including using a ladder to reach a victim in a smoke-filled building. They trained in the former Merced County Rescue Mission building, which recently was closed down.

During the upcoming shadowing period, the men will be evaluated and, if they pass, will be worked into the regular rotation, Wilkinson said.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Merced adding two firefighters, but remains below pre-recession tally."