Medina County fire officers make up six of 70 credentialed fire officers in the state

LAFAYETTE TWP. — Of the 70 fire officers credentialed through the Ohio Fire Chief's Association, six of those officers are at fire departments in Medina County. The Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association and the Ohio Fire and Emergency Services Foundation formed the credentialing program at first to inform those questioning that the fire chief in place was the best person for the role. "That segued into credentialing fire officers to give them a template by which they can … look at the areas that they need to dig into, expand on and get a good base of knowledge in to meet the requirements to get this credentialing," said Lafayette Township Fire Chief Jerry Winkler. Winkler said that not only will the fire officers who complete the credentialing process be able to show their accomplishments, but they will then have the ability to build on their skills in becoming better leaders for the community. To become credentialed, fire officers must complete an application breaking down the officer's experience and years of service, in addition to the education and training they have completed. "This program looks at not just experience and years of service but, it looks at your time as an officer," Winkler said. "It looks at your education, at your training. It looks at your ethics. It looks at a bunch of different aspects of your career." Once credentialed, fire chiefs and officers will be required to renew their credentials every three years. On June 20, Shane Jenkins of Lafayette Township Fire Department was credentialed, joining Mike Savetski of LTFD in the certifications. Other Medina County fire officers credentialed from the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association include Tammy Johnson of Seville-Guilford Fire Department, Stephen Kantorik of SGFD, Benjamin Nau of Valley City Fire Department and Brittany Rufener of SGFD. Medina County fire chiefs credentialed include Winkler, Greg Smith of Valley City-Liverpool Fire Department, Brad Winter of SGFD and Anthony Strazzo of Brunswick Hills Township. These four chiefs are among 151 chiefs credentialed throughout the state. "The people who go through this process are driven to excel to meet the qualifications," Winkler said. "Not only as a self-identification piece to show that they're actually accomplishing something but also to improve what they do and make them better leaders and better able to serve their communities as well as their departments." Winkler was a part of the board of directors for the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association when the credential program was first launched and saw the benefits of becoming credentialed. Since that point, he has worked with fire officers and chiefs in both Medina and Wayne counties to help get them through the process of becoming credentialed. "It's a great thing because it offers credibility to those people in that there's something measurable that they can not only strive to achieve but it's also something to offer them credibility in their position," Winkler said. Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.