Emmaus Borough Council unanimously approved the hiring of two full-time paramedics and one public works employee at its April 16 meeting in borough hall.

Jonathan Pfleegor and Brian Szabo were both hired as full-time paramedics for the borough.

Pfleegor was hired as a part-time paramedic by the borough during the summer of 2016 and has 11 years emergency medical experience.

Szabo has 15 years of emergency medical experience and was working as a dispatcher for Berks County prior to being offered the job with Emmaus.

The starting pay rate for both men will be $21.61 an hour and will rise to $24.08 an hour after the first 90 days.

Borough Manager Shane Pepe said he is very excited about both of these men, as he feels they are both highly qualified.

“We don’t just do interviews, it’s important for people to understand that,” Pepe said. “We also send them for an assessment at the Emergency Management Institute where they have to go through a skills assessment.”

Pepe said they are looking to make sure applicants “can actually do work out in the field.” Both men had the top two scores out of all the applicants.

Dakota Delong was hired out of 30 applicants for the full-time position as a public works employee. Delong, who previously worked for Upper Milford Township, is knowledgeable in electrical components, carpentry, plumbing and construction.

Pepe said they were looking for someone well rounded who was knowledgeable in a variety of skills, which Delong has.

Delong will be paid $22.41 an hour, which will rise to $24.18 after 90 days.

Councilman Jeff Shubzda said the recycling Earth Day event held at Emmaus Community Park was very successful. Over three truckloads of electronic recycling was collected which included televisions, printers, computers and many other miscellaneous electronic items.

In addition to the electronic recycling, they also held a document shredding event and had a large crowd of volunteers go around and collect garbage in certain borough areas.

Council voted to enter a new, three-year banking service agreement with Lafayette Ambassador Bank. The borough previously used Key Bank for their banking needs.

“If you compare what our banking relationship is currently with our current bank, compared to what it would be with some assumed interest rates with how much money stays in there, it’s about a $21,000 positive swing in our favor,” Councilman Wesley Barrett said.

Mayor Lee Ann Gilbert proclaimed April 27 as Arbor Day in Emmaus, and she urged all citizens to support the planting of trees and to promote the well-being of the future generations.

Ordinance 1175 passed its first reading which will remove a residential handicapped parking sign located at 733 Walnut St.