On Mar. 8, the Merrill Fire Department welcomed Joe Bozinski as the first ever fire inspector in department history. Inspector Bozinski has over 20 years’ experience in the fire service and also serves as the fire chief for the Village of Maine Fire Department. Prior to becoming fire inspector, Bozinski worked full-time for Crystal Finishing Systems. The position is part-time, but it will provide a significant enhancement to the fire inspection division of the department and improvement to the overall operations of the department, the Merrill Fire Department said in a press release announcing Bozinski’s appointment to the position.
Creation of this position has taken almost a year, it said, and since it is a new position, it went through various City Committees before being adopted by the Merrill City Council in the fall of 2020. The position is 100% funded through the Merrill Fire Department’s 2% Dues fund. Funding comes annually from the state for conducting fire inspections.
In a normal year, the department conducts about 1,200 fire inspections annually, so the main benefit to a fire inspector is consistent code enforcement. With one person conducting fire inspections, it also allows firefighter/paramedics more time for training. Bozinski will work 24 hours each week, typically Monday – Wednesday.
The department is excited to have Inspector Bozinski join their team and lead the inspection division.
“My job is to form a business partnership between the Department and property owners to keep lives and property safe,” said Joe Bozinski. He will train for two weeks before he starts conducting fire inspections. Fire inspections have been postponed until March 19 by the state because of COVID.
Please help welcome Fire Inspector Joe Bozinski to the Merrill Fire Department family.