TOLEDO, Ohio — Due to coronavirus concerns, the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department announced it is extending the application deadline for recruits.
The deadline, originally set for April 30, has now been set for July 31.
TFRD officials said they are on the hunt for 50 top-notch recruits for the class that begins in December.
The fire department is specifically looking for college athletes.
A previous visit to the University of Toledo's Savage Arena was all part of a new effort to recruit the cream of the crop to Toledo and department leaders are confident that effort starts on campus.
"Athletes do great on the job, when they get in the academy and when they get on the line," Pvt. Jill Hoffman said.
While the fire academy won't actually start until December, city recruiters are making an all-out effort to attract top-tier talent right here at home.
"Athletes have a coachable mentality," Battalion Chief Daniel Brown-Martinez said. "That's something that we're looking for within our department. We want people that want to be here, want to be successful, that is used to working as a team which these athletes are."
"The job is high-stress," Hoffman added. "The academy is high-stress. We need someone who can pick themself up if something goes wrong and push through, whether it be in the academy when they're getting yelled at or on the line when you're seeing things that most people don't have to see."
UToledo's campus, like most universities, brings diversity, something Brown-Martinez says is imperative for the department at this moment.
"We want to represent the community which we serve," he said. "There are so many messages that are sent non-verbally."
The recruitment effort has just begun, but leaders can see a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's many months down the road.
"Just in general, to have that fresh blood coming in to build up the department," Hoffman said.
If you're interested in applying or learning more, click here.
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