GRETNA, Neb. (KMTV) — For the first time ever, Gretna Fire and Rescue Department has added 12 paid firefighters. Fire Chief Rod Buethe said it's been in the works for years to add paid firefighters to the force.
Gretna Fire has been a volunteer fire department since 1913.
"One hundred plus years of volunteerism," said Buethe. "It's a great force. The volunteers have stepped up and done a great job."
Now, the fire department will be a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters. He said Gretna's growth, response times, and calls were some of the main factors that influenced the decision.
"It was like starting a business from scratch," he said.
So far, Beuthe said the new employees have been on the job about 30 days and said the addition is going well. He said response times have decreased an estimated four-to-five minutes.
This change is needed for the growing community. Neighborhood reporter John Brown obtained data that shows a steady increase in the calls over the last five years.
"In the past, people responded from home. Now, we have people sitting in the station," he said.
Morgan Dierkhising is one of the 12 paid firefighters. The Gretna native said this will help take some of the stress off the volunteer firefighters.
"I think it helps quite a bit. I think it'll also help that drive back in volunteers because burnout is super real in the first responder world," said Dierkhising.
Buethe has been on the force for 26 years.
"Would I have expected this 26 years ago? No. But here we are," he said.
Buethe said there’s no plans on hiring more paid firefighters in the near future.
