Port Washington Fire Chief Mark Mitchell had hoped to hire a full-time firefighter/paramedic by June, but that probably won’t happen.
Mitchell told the Police and Fire Commission last week that only two people applied for the job, and neither met the city’s requirements for the post.
“I was very, very, very surprised,” Mitchell said.
But, he said, all departments seem to be facing the same problem.
“If we recruit them, they don’t stay,” he said. “Even the paid departments are having trouble with recruitment and retention.”