In 1989

At the end of 1989, the fire department and the rescue department were joined together. Beforehand, they were completely separate with many members serving on both departments. In November of 1989, the city hired its first paid fire department members to create a combination career and volunteer department. The first hiring consisted of a fire chief and a lieutenant who were directed to hire an inspector and three additional firefighters. All staff members, with the exception of the fire chief, were hired from the volunteers. This made the department transition easier. The career members were scheduled to cover daytime hours during the week when the volunteer response was low due to the volunteers working regular jobs.