Chester Rotarians hear update on state of the fire department

Chester Fire Department Lieutenant Charles Bargman II was the guest speaker at the June 8 meeting of the Chester Rotary.

Bargman presented a state of the department program, outlining the general responsibilities and scope of the fire department. He discussed the upkeep of and ongoing need to ensure that all firefighting equipment is up to date and effective for all emergencies.

He also discussed continuing education of the firefighters, with training and state certification given through Southwestern Illinois College and the University of Illinois.

Currently, the Chester Fire Department has 24 firefighters. Bargman said recruitment and retention are becoming a challenge and that many other towns of similar size are experiencing the same problem.

Bargman has been a member of the Chester Fire Department for 24 years.

The next meeting of the Chester Rotary will be Wednesday, June 22.