Bittersweet. That's how four retiring Barrington, IL, firefighters felt about becoming the final members of the department's long-running paid on-call program.
Firefighters Eric Jopp, John Matlachwski, Brian McCarthy and Tim Tuffy were praised by Chief Jim Arie and heard a final bell as part of a Sept. 13 retirement ceremony at the city's public safety headquarters. In his remarks, Arie talked about the more than 100 years of fire service experience between the four firefighters, a total that almost matches the 121 years of Barrington's paid on-call program
The program began in June 1898, and it had 37 volunteers, according to the book, "History of Barrington, Illinois." Back then, firefighters were paid a quarter for attending meetings, and they received $2 for responding to calls, the book added.
But the program was ended earlier this year, and the ceremony was a send off for it, as well as the retiring firefighters. The department shut down its paid on-call program because of the increasing training requirements in the state, creating a burden for volunteers, Arie said.
In the following video, Arie and the firefighters discuss the program and talk about their firefighting experience.
