Left to right, Bethel Township Fire Department members John Meyer, Lt. James Sebastian, Lt. Chris Kyer, Assistant Chief Josh Schiebrel, Assistant Chief Jay Zimmerman (making the presentations), Robert Yocum, and Capt. Terry Weldon were all recognized for their years of service Tuesday night.  Not pictured are Lt. Charlie Pacheco, Lt. Shawn Cline, and James Ake. 

By MICHAEL SHANNON
Record Herald Writer

BETHEL TOWNSHIP - The main focus of the Bethel Township Trustees’ meeting Tuesday night was to recognize some local heros. Eight fire fighters, with more than 102 years combined experience, received certificates of appreciation and a festive cake from the Township.

A resolution “expressed gratitude” to Lt. Chris Kyer for his service of five years. Resolutions were also made to recognize John Meyer, Lt. Shawn Cline, Lt. Charles Pacheco, and Lt. James Sebastian for 10 years of Bethel firefighting. James Ake has worked as both a paramedic and fire fighter in the community for 15 years.

Other members of the fire department who have served for 15 years are Captain Terry Weldon and Assistant Chief Josh Schiebrel.

The longest running service member, though, is Robert Yocum, who has served faithfully for 27 years as a firefighter. He was recognized for 25 years of service on Tuesday.

Township administrator Mike Gebhart said, “Robert should have been recognized two years ago for his 25 years.”

Also on Tuesday, the trustees approved to enter into an agreement for an external employee assistance program. Upper Valley Medical center will provide the care to local employees at a cost not to exceed $1,320.

There were some question if employees were taking advantage of the services. Concern was that if the employees were not using the services, then there would be no point to allocate the resources. Gebhart confirmed there was enough interest to justify the cost.

“It provides our employees with counseling assistance if they need it.  Examples of what it might be used for might include counseling in their personal lives or it could be for stress debriefing if our firefighters were involved in a traumatic accident or fire,” he said.

The Township also approved a $16,980 expenditure for the Ohio Township Risk Management Authority. The approval of this resolution will authorize the administrator to complete the renewal agreement.