With the hiring of three new firefighters in the past month and the prospective placement of four more within three weeks, the Maywood Fire Department will be fully staffed for the first time in more than three years.  Full staffing will mean 36 firefighters and six officers will be reporting to Fire Chief John Cadagin.

“With our fire department at full staffing and our efforts to quickly bring our police department likewise to full strength, Maywood will continue to vigilantly and visibly address public safety issues in all neighborhoods,” Mayor Henderson Yarbrough asserted. 

Chief Cadagin, who has been Maywood’s Fire Chief for five years, praised the work of his firefighters.  “This past year Maywood had 26 working fires, the lowest number in recent history down from a high of 52 in 2002,” Chief Cadagin said.  He explained that the ambulance purchased recently gave the village two operating ambulances at all times; the number of ambulance calls in 2008 jumped from 4773 to 4935.

Cadagin also pointed out that a newly purchased rescue squad will be on the street by April.  “It will allow for quicker deployment and provide better safety for both firefighters and the public,” he added.