End of era: Paid-on-call firefighters call it quits.(News)

Byline: Victoria Pierce Daily Herald Staff Writer Years ago, the Wheaton Fire Department relied entirely on men who would leave their jobs, family dinners or a warm bed - whenever the fire alarm sounded. They were paid by the call while they worked full-time jobs as clerks, city planners, mechanics and so forth.

During the past 30 years, the department has become more reliant on full-time professional staff, and the number of paid-on-call firefighters has dwindled. Last week, the era of the paid-on-call firefighter came to an end in Wheaton, a victim of changing times and ...

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