September 2, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
The City of Smithville has added a third full time paid firefighter to the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department.
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, the aldermen voted to hire Glenn Lattimore upon the recommendation of Chief Charlie Parker. Lattimore has been a volunteer member of the department for 14 years. His budgeted salary is $35,131 plus benefits.
Chief Parker said Lattimore was one of two candidates for the new position and recommended after a review process.
“We went through the interview process last month. All six of our officers and Alderman Shawn Jacobs, who is the city’s fire department commissioner, sat in on the interview. We tried to take applications in house first. We had two applications, and we interviewed those two firefighters from our department. Both did an outstanding job but through scoring and everything else we selected Mr. Glenn Lattimore to be our new hire this year. Glen has been with us for 14 years as a volunteer for the department and he has done very well so far, and we have discussed with him moving forward what the new position will entail, and he is looking forward to doing that. He will start September 12,” said Chief Parker.
Chief Parker was the first member of the department hired as a full-time city firefighter in 2012. Dalton Roberts was added as the second city paid firefighter in 2020.
Every year during budget time, Chief Parker petitions the mayor and aldermen to fund more full-time paid firefighter positions based on need.
Members of the department ranging in years of service from one year to 42 years are Cole Wright, Tyler Cantrell, Dakota Nokes, Kim Johnson, Seth Wright, Dalton Roberts, Becky Atnip, Cory Killian, Glen Lattimore, Stephanee Wright, Gary Johnson, Lieutenant John Poss, Captain Jeff Wright, Deputy Chief Hoyte Hale, Lieutenant Donnie Cantrell, Lieutenant Danny Poss, Chief Charlie Parker, Wink Brown, Randall Hunt, Bradley Johnson, Dillon Hicks, C.J. Tramel, Kayla Johnson, Jeff Prisock, and Andrew Cooper.