As one of its final duties for 2024, Florence City Council witnessed the swearing-in ceremony for a group of new fire service personnel.
The Florence Fire/EMS Department added two firefighter/paramedics and four new paramedics to the force. Fire Chief Rodney Wren introduced the new personnel. He shared short profiles of each individual and noted their friends and family in attendance.
Paramedic Sami Corbin obtained her EMT basic in August of 2021 and started working for Ohio County Rescue in southeast Indiana. She then completed her Indiana Firefighter One and Two in the spring of 2022 and became a member of the Bear Branch Indiana Volunteer Fire Department, as well as a part-time member of the Lawrenceburg Fire Department. She went on to receive her associate’s in paramedicine from Cincinnati State.
Paramedic Jonna Wilson graduated from Thomas Moore College in 2016 with a bachelor of science in biology. She obtained her EMT certification in 2017 and began her journey in EMS in 2019 at American Medical Response (AMR). While working at AMR, she obtained her associate’s in paramedicine.
Paramedic Lauren Goldfuss completed EMT class in 2018 and finished the Paramedic Program at Gateway in 2020. She worked in private transport for two years, followed by a position working as a paramedic for the Walton Fire Department.
Paramedic Brooke Schermann obtained EMT basic in 2021 and started working as an EMT with a private transport company. After completing her EMT certification, she went on to obtain her Ohio firefighter one and two in 2022 while working as a firefighter/EMT with Colerain Township. She graduated from Cincinnati State as a paramedic.
Firefighter/Paramedic Cristian Espinoza obtained his paramedic license through Gateway Community and Technical College in 2017. He was hired as a paramedic at Georgetown in Scott County EMS. The same year, he began his full-time firefighter/paramedic career with the city of Florence. In 2021, Christian left the city of Florence to pursue further education in nursing, and he graduated from Gateway Community and Technical College with his nursing license in 2022.
Firefighter/Paramedic Zach Castleberry began his journey in the fire service with Point Pleasant Fire Protection District as an interim in 2015. In 2016, Zach obtained his EMT certification and was hired full-time as a firefighter/EMT with Point Pleasant, where he then obtained his paramedic license in 2018. He joined the city of Florence in February 2019 as a firefighter medic until he resigned in May of 2023. He said he missed the camaraderie of the department and decided to return.
Mayor Julie Aubuchon administered the oath of office. Wren invited family members to pin badges on the new department members.
“Thank you all for your commitment to our department, and thank you for joining our family,” said Aubuchon. “Thank your families for sharing you with us, and thank you to our extended fire family and EMS family for coming out and supporting you all tonight.”