CANFIELD — New firefighter / paramedic Ian Vandegrift took the oath of office at Monday’s board meeting of the Cardinal Joint Fire District.

According to Ian’s mother, Tabitha Vandegrift, Ian started out in the fire service as a teenager. While he attended Sandy Valley High School, he was a member of the East Sparta Fire Explorers for young people interested in the fire service.

Immediately after graduation, Vandegrift joined the East Sparta Fire Department in Stark County. Before age 21, Ian made captain at the Pike Township Station (East Sparta’s Station 2). He presently serves in the Tri-Division, which is East Sparta’s EMS side, while retaining his rank of captain on the fire side of the department.

“He will be balancing his time between East Sparta and the CJFD,” Tabitha said.

Following the

swearing-in, a brief discussion took place regarding mutual aid for medical calls with Boardman.

“Boardman is buying an ambulance and outfitting it,” CJFD Chief Don Hutchison said.

He asked the board to approve reestablishing a mutual aid agreement with Boardman once its ambulance is up and running.

The board agreed unanimously that providingf mutual aid is both ways, with Boardman assisting in Canfield when needed. Hutchison said the CJFD operates four ambulances and there will always be one ambulance and crew left in the township should the other three go out on mutual aid calls.

The board also discussed the Canfield Fair. Assistant Chief Matt Rarick said the last few hot days brought a lot of medical calls. Two specific cases had patients with body temperatures around 110 degrees. They had to be placed into an ice bath to bring their temperature down.

He said one big help at the fair is having the mobile medical unit from University Hospital on site along with a physician. Rarick said the physician this year saw approximately 150 people per day during the fair.

“It takes some pressure off of us,” Rarick said.

Not only does the fire district handle the fair, but it also maintains the daily fire and EMS service for Canfield city and township.

Rarick said a group of fire chief’s and EMS staff are meeting to try to persuade University Hospital to not cancel the physician at the fair.

The board also approved the purchase of three Striker Power Stair Chairs at a cost of $40,767. The chairs can assist in moving up to a 700-pound patient down a set of stairs by using a tank-like tread. The CJFD will receive a BWC grant for $30,000, leaving $10,767 as the local share. A second motion saw the approval of $4,474.08 to purchase backup batteries for the chairs.