Staff photo / Ed Runyan Nathan Hruska, a 2021 Boardman High School graduate, was sworn in as a new Youngstown firefighter Monday by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown. The Youngstown Fire Department returns to its full complement of 125 firefighters, Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley said.

YOUNGSTOWN — With Nathan Hruska being sworn in Monday and working his first shift as a Youngstown firefighter this week, the Youngstown Fire Department returns to its full complement of 125 firefighters, Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley said.

Hruska, who worked about six months as a volunteer firefighter for the Western Reserve Joint Fire District in Poland starting last year, said he is “excited, a little nervous, but I am ready to serve the community and protect people.”

He said he is happy to be with the Youngstown Fire Department because it’s a larger organization that provides “the opportunity to grow and continue on this journey and this career.”

Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown administered the oath of office, saying this job will be “life changing, always for the better, because he’s joining a group of professionals here at the Youngstown Fire Department.” He encouraged Hruska to “listen, learn and just be a sponge and absorb.”

Hruska’s girlfriend, Asia Mahon, said Nathan is “very hardworking,” and knowledgeable for just starting out. She said he did not get an opportunity to fight a fire while with the WRJFD “but he’s ready.”

Because her father, Capt. Michael Mahon, works for the Youngstown Fire Department, “he is always telling me stories,” so she does not doubt that Hruska will get a chance to fight a fire before too long.

When asked whether Hruska’s chosen profession makes her nervous, she said, “I know I could never do it, so I really respect the field. It takes a special person to go into a burning building. I give them all respect, every single one of them,” she said.

Lisa Hruska, Nathan’s mother, said Nathan comes from a long line of family members who served in the military. “This is a new venue for us, but we are very proud,” she said of her son.

“Once he started pursuing firefighting school, he went in with everything,” she said, standing with her husband, Jim Hruska. “He can’t wait to learn the (emergency medical technician) side of it,” she said.