As part of the discussions at all of last year’s Fire Commissioners meetings on the division chief reorganization plan, one key element to the success was the hiring of a fourth paramedic to reduce overtime costs.

It is the one part of the proposal that Orcas Fire and Rescue is having trouble accomplishing.

At last Thursday’s fire commissioners working session meeting, Acting Chief Mik Preysz, filling in for vacationing Chief Mike Harris, asked the commissioners for permission to open the position up to their current on-call personnel.

“It was a flaw in our hiring policy that we did not go to them in the beginning,” Preysz said. The hiring process will be the same for them. If they are interested then we will rank them.

“They are working for us, so they have already passed the initial litmus test.”

The two commissioners present, Clyde Duke and John Coffin, gave unanimous approval to reopen the hiring list to include part-time fire medics subject to the approval of the department medical director.

Harris has said multiple times that he has high qualifications for the position. He wants a level of expertise that is commensurate with the three current paramedics, and now division chiefs, Patrick Sheplar, Valerie Harris and Mik Preysz.

He does not want to hire what he calls “baby medics.”

Originally, Harris had hoped that two of his most experienced volunteer EMTs could be hired into the paramedic position as a job share. Both turned down the offer.

Ads were run in a number of daily newspapers at a cost of several thousand dollars. That effort reaped a “disappointing” seven applications.

Three went on to test with the OIFR’s medical advisor, but the department and the lone finalist could not come to terms on compensation.

After the meeting, Preysz said that he understood that there are people within the ranks with the right qualifications who are also interested in the position.

The next meeting will be March 23 at 7:30 p.m.