After nearly a year and a half, Columbus Fire and Rescue is hiring a new public fire and life safety educator.

The position, formerly held by CFR Public Information Officer Anthony Colom who retired in November 2019, is one of the public faces for the fire department and oversees training and education initiatives for the public, CFR Chief Martin Andrews said.

The fire and life safety educator is in charge of working with the public on fire and public safety initiatives, Andrews said. The duties range from visiting schools, businesses and nursing homes to teach people about fire safety — or conduct fire extinguisher or alarm checks — to working with the Red Cross and other nonprofits to find temporary shelter or other relief for individuals who lose their homes to a fire. The person also hosts CPR classes for the public and area first responders and works closely with the training officer to make sure the department’s firefighters know how to install car seats, another of the department’s duties.

“It’s so many things that they do, not just for the community at large,” Andrews said.

The safety educator is also in charge of making public statements about fire safety during emergencies, such as severely cold weather when CFR officials are out reminding people how to avoid fires caused by electric heaters and ovens that people sometimes use to keep their homes warm when they want to save on electricity, Vice Mayor Bill Gavin said.

“It’s a job that really requires a person going out … to inform the public on what to do in emergency situations and who to contact,” Gavin said.

After Colom departed CFR, the position was deliberately left unfilled during a city-wide hiring freeze as a cost-saving measure, Gavin said. But earlier this month, the city council unanimously approved Andrews and Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell to begin the process of advertising for the position again.

It’s a position that’s sorely needed in the community, Andrews said.

While some of the duties — in particular training other CFR firefighters — have been handled by other training officials in the department, the public relations side of the job has been lacking, with fewer school visits and training initiatives for individuals.

Some of that is because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited department officials’ ability to visit schools, nursing homes and other facilities where they would normally conduct fire safety training, Andrews said.

As the pandemic ends, Andrews said, CFR will be able to open its facilities back up to CPR training and other safety initiatives for the public.

“Once it’s safe and COVID is declared over and we can safely do it, sure,” he said. “Not only that, but our public fire and life safety educator will be able to go back to the normal duties of going out to schools, going out to day cares, going out to nursing homes and whatever may be needed in the public.”

The safety educator’s hiring will also coincide with the opening of Fire Station 4 on Airline Road, which CFR is expected to have ready within the next couple of weeks and which will house the department’s entire administrative staff.

Andrews said the position does not necessarily have to be filled by a firefighter, since the safety educator’s duties are primarily administrative and training. However, he said, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be filled by a firefighter.

“We have opened it up to outside people and educators, school teachers, ex-firefighters or people that have a knowledge of fire work mechanisms,” he said. “It’s really just no one particular that is geared at (the position).”

He added CFR is willing to give the right person for the position the training they need to do the job.

“One of the main things is being adaptable to the public, being able to speak in front of the camera, and also being able to teach and to know the background …,” he said. “A lot of people may not have that experience, and we’re willing to get them the classes that it takes to become the fire and life safety educator.”

The position pays about $43,000 and begins advertising today, Andrews and Mitchell said.

“This is a position that is really needed in the fire department,” Andrews said. “It’s a position that brings a lot of validation to Columbus Fire and Rescue, what we do and how we do it, and to continually teach the public and continually put things out so that the public can stay safe as a whole.”