Firefighter Steven Drop was sworn in by Willoughby Hills Mayor Robert Weger on May 13 as a full-time firefighter for the city's fire department
The swearing-in ceremony was not just a momentous occasion for Drop, but also for the the department.
"This is the first time that career staffing (full-time) has been added to the department... So it's been 28 years of running the same," the newly confirmed Fire Chief Bob Gandee said. "Since 1991, we have had a 168 percent increase in call volume and we are anticipated to run above our record for last year. We are on track to run 2,375 calls this year based on statistical analysis of our past incidences."
The city was able to hire Drop as a result of a 2017 ordinance to allow the department to hire three full-time firefighters.