YOUNGSTOWN — Caitlyn Haddle, who grew up in Newton Falls and has worked part-time with the Newton Falls and Vienna fire departments, has been hired as a fire inspector with the Youngstown Fire Department.

She has been an emergency medical technician and firefighter for the Newton Falls and Vienna fire departments since 2018 but has had some experience as a fire inspector in her earlier work, she said.

Haddle is the first person ever to be hired as a Youngstown fire inspector without having first been a Youngstown firefighter, said Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley.

The department has only two inspectors, which is “not enough,” and he wants to hire more, Finley said, noting that in 1993, the department had five inspectors.

A person has to be certified as a firefighter to work as a fire inspector, and Haddle has that, Finley said. A person also needs to have a certification as an inspector to serve as an inspector. Haddle was hired as a fire inspector, so fighting fires will not be part of her job requirements.

Throughout the history of the department, individuals were hired as firefighters and then moved into inspection.

“Ms. Haddle is the first inspector ever hired specifically as an inspector, even though she holds the certification as a firefighter,” the chief said.

Most smaller fire departments have just one fire inspector. But more are needed for a city the size of Youngstown, he said.

In addition to inspections ordered because of a known issue, the department also conducts routine inspections every year for buildings such as schools, daycares, nursing homes, foster homes and group homes, he said. The fire inspector also has to be involved in all new construction.

“An inspector is there to make sure every building is up to fire code so that if a fire does come in, we at least know that this building has been inspected as safe and the fire suppression system ought to work,” Finley said.