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Date: 10/17/2023
EASTHAMPTON — At Easthampton City Council’s Oct. 4 meeting, Mayor Nicole LaChappelle swore in new firefighters Jacob Antosz and Trevor Svonkin.
According to Fire Chief Christopher Norris, the new Fire Department members both come with significant experience and will be “welcome additions” to the department.
Svonkin comes to Easthampton from Southampton and has paramedic training. Antosz joins the department from Westhampton and has basic EMT training. Norris has worked with him at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy and called that experience a “pleasure.”
“We’re proud to be here before you,” said Norris to the council, adding that it’s become a tradition for new hires to be sworn in in front of the council. “Both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.”
The two new hires will join a department that is seeing a rapid increase in the number of calls it responds to and recently received a grant to hire even more firefighters.
Councilor Owen Zaret noted that the Fire Department has doubled its EMS revenue, which is a testament to its number of runs and the efficiency with which it does those. He added that this increased efficiency will likely mean an improvement in the department’s IOS rating which often leads to lower homeowners insurance rates.
In other business, residents Jo Cater and Sean Collins were appointed to the Cultural Council. Both have significant experience with various aspects of art and theater culture.
Councilor Brad Riley also informed the council that he’d received several messages from residents concerned about the availability of accessible parking spaces in the city. He took the opportunity to remind residents not to park in those spaces even if they’re open.
“Please do not block them. Please do not park in them,” he said, adding that those spaces are very important to the people who need them.
President Homar Gomez also took a moment during the meeting to remind everyone to follow the rules for “when someone wants to talk. That way we can run a better meeting.”