Florence Mayor Julie Aubuchon swore in 12 new members of the Florence Fire Department at the city council meeting on June 8.
Ten people hold the position of firefighter/EMT. One is a paramedic, and the other is a firefighter/paramedic. During the meeting, Fire/EMS Chief Rodney Wren shared a little about each new firefighter.
Joe Melville, firefighter/EMT, started his career in the Southgate Volunteer Fire Department in 2017. He worked part-time at Southgate and Ludlow until he was hired full-time with the city of Erlanger in 2023.
Mutaz Al-Ramahi, firefighter/EMT, is from Union and started his fire and EMS career in 2023 as an intern with the Ludlow Fire Department. While there, he completed his International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) certifications and obtained his EMT license. He plans on finishing his fire science degree through Gateway Community & Technical College.
Zachary Doyle, firefighter/EMT, is from El Reno, Oklahoma. He started his career in medicine as a Navy corpsman for the 2/3 Weapons Company. After his service, he worked for Plaquemines Parish Fire Department for two years before moving to Kentucky in 2024. He has obtained his EMT license.
Aidan Bray, firefighter/EMT, is from Fort Mitchell. He started his career as a volunteer and, eventually, an intern at the Fort Mitchell Fire Department in 2023. He’s enrolled at the Gateway Fire Sciences program.
Justin Schmitt, firefighter/EMT, resides on the west side of Cincinnati and attended Cincinnati State’s Fire Service Technology program. Upon obtaining his firefighter one and two as well as his EMT, he became a part-time firefighter for Delhi Township Fire. He plans to attend paramedic school in the future.
Bradley Althauser, firefighter/EMT, started his fire service career in 2015 as a volunteer during his senior year of high school. In 2016, he was hired by the city of Richmond, Kentucky. During that time, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety with minors in homeland security and fire safety engineering from Eastern Kentucky University.
Cody Flickinger, firefighter/EMT, grew up in Union and started his career as a volunteer firefighter in 2020 with Crittenden Fire Rescue. He obtained his EMT license in 2024 and plans to obtain a paramedic license in the future.
Connor Gregory, firefighter/EMT, started his fire career in his senior year of high school as an intern with Verona Fire Department. He was later hired part-time at the Verona and Union fire departments. He plans to get his paramedic license in the future.
Kyle Merkin, firefighter/EMT, grew up in Bright, Indiana. He started his career in fire service in 2020 with the Bright Volunteer Fire Department. That year, he obtained his firefighter one and two, as well as EMT and other technical certifications. He was hired part-time by the Whitewater Township Fire Department in 2020.
Evan Kerns, firefighter/EMT, started his fire and EMS career in his senior year of high school as an intern at the Verona Fire Protection District. He has worked there for the last three years and obtained his EMT license last fall through St. Elizabeth.
Kyle Wilhite, paramedic, grew up in Crestline, California. He began his EMS career in 2021 as an EMT with American Medical Response in Hemet, California. He completed his paramedic training program at Crafton Hills College in San Bernardino County in 2024. Shortly thereafter, he transferred to a division of AMR in Erlanger. He plans to advance toward a firefighter certification.
Eric VanMeter, firefighter/paramedic, is from Burlington. He went through Gateway Community College. In his junior year of high school, while volunteering with the Ludlow Fire Department, he earned his EMT license and continued his education by obtaining his paramedic license in 2022.
After the mayor gave the oath of office, the firefighters’ family and friends were invited to pin their badges to their uniforms.
In other Fire/EMS Department business at the meeting, the council passed a municipal order approving an amendment to the Community Paramedicine Pilot Program. The program was created with an agreement and memorandum of understanding between St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the Florence Fire/EMS Department.
The Copic Medical Foundation funds the program. The amendment allows the city to receive $5,000 to cover the cost the city incurred in obtaining certifications for those in the program.
