Twin Lakes Fire Department hires first ever full-time staff [Video]

TWIN LAKES — The Twin Lakes Fire Department and Rescue Squad has hired is first full-time staff.

The move comes after nearly a century in the village’s public safety history and following nearly two years of planning and collaboration with the department, the communities it serves and the team itself, Fire Chief Ron Redlin announced Monday.

The five new full-time members are Chip Walmsley, Hannah Felipez, Justin Ball, Jade Edwards and John Zwilling. All five are firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Felipez, Ball and Edwards are advanced EMTs.

The Twin Lakes Fire Department was founded in 1929 and has served the communities of Twin Lakes, Randall and parts of Wheatland while relying on volunteer and part-time members, according to the department.

As demand for emergency services has grown and staffing challenges have persisted, the need for a full-time team became clear, Redlin said.

For the past five years the department …