City council to consider hiring new firefighter on Tuesday

The council will debate and likely vote on the appointment and hiring of new firefighter Ethan Hergert during the meeting.

The addition of Hergert is part of the city’s efforts to hire six new firefighters, which has been ongoing for several years. The city is currently in the planning stages for two new fire stations, which are expected to be built in 2026 or 2027.

Fremont Fire Capt. Zachary Klein said adding Ethan Hergert to the department’s roster will take the department to 32 total firefighters, including Fire Chief Todd Bernt. The department is still seeking two additional firefighters.

“We’re still working towards the increased staffing numbers that we decided on two or three years ago,” Klein said. “(Hergert) was the latest that came through the testing process. We would look for him to start, I would say, probably the 15th of July after everything else gets finalized with them.”

Klein said the goal is to have a fire department staffing level of 34 firefighters, or 11 per shift. As the city has grown with new homes and more residents, the department has seen a slow uptick in fire calls requiring the extra staffing.

“It is definitely a positive for us. We’ve been … the council … has been working hard, so (they’ve) been working hard trying to get the staffing levels to kind of match the, the workload that, that we’ve gotten ourselves into at this point,” Klein said.

“So I think that it’s a great step in the right direction and hopefully we can keep moving with it. Get the other two and, keep those numbers,” he said. “We’re happy when we can get the qualified candidates and work them through the process and get them on shift.”

In other business during Tuesday’s meeting, the council is expected to appoint two new members to the city’s Airport Advisory Committee, Mitch Schneringer and Stan Darling. If approved, both appointees would serve terms ending in June 2027.

Tuesday’s meeting is expected to be another short gathering, with only seven consent agenda items and three new business items on the full agenda. The end-of-month public comment session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm, with the full meeting starting at 7 pm

Fremont City Council meetings are hosted on the second floor of the city Municipal Building in the council chambers, 400 E. Military Ave., Fremont.