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By RUSSELL HUFFMAN
The Flash Today
STEPHENVILLE (December 4, 2015) — With their latest hiring, comes the announcement that the Stephenville Fire Department’s newest firefighter is a homegrown product. That’s right, Jay Berry is a 2008 Stephenville High School grad.
Berry, 25, has been applying for several years for a firefighting job with the city, even though he knew he wouldn’t be hired.
“My father-in-law Kenneth Smith is a captain with the Stephenville Fire Department,” Berry said. “I knew I couldn’t be hired while he was still working here, but I wanted to keep showing the department I was interested.”
Berry’s chosen career path has been in a holding pattern because of his desire to work at home, so he has been working locally in emergency services, waiting and hoping for his chance. With the announcement of his father-in-law’s retirement (Smith’s retirement party is Friday at 6 p.m.) the door of opportunity finally opened for Berry.
“I was really excited when I heard that I had been hired right before Thanksgiving,” Berry said. “The first thing I did was call my wife, Rachel, and let her know it had finally happened.”
Berry comes well prepared after attending Hill College’s paramedic course and graduating from the academy in Weatherford. He and Rachel have two children — Taylor, 7, and Glorianne, 1.
“It’s really great to have someone like Jay come on board with us,” Fire Chief Jimmy Chew said. “He is well trained and dedicated and we are lucky to have a young man of his caliber.”
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