From Chief Bill Gaul:

Ben Zachiarias and Maria Evangelisti were recently appointed as career firefighters by the Washington Township Trustees on July 21, 2008.

Evangelisti has worked at both the New Lebanon and Riverside [both Ohio] fire departments. She has served as a volunteer fire fighter/paramedic for both agencies. She attended both Ohio University and Wright State University pursuing a degree in anthropology and biology. Maria has also studied Fire Technology and Emergency Medical Services at Sinclair Community College in Dayton.

Zacharias has served Washington Township as a part-paid volunteer firefighter since August 2004. He joined the part-time in-house ranks as an evening/weekend EMT in January 2006. He has also served the City of Lebanon as a fire fighter/EMT. Ben attended paramedic training at Sinclair Community College and at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati.

Both Evangelisti and Zacharias begain their duties July 23, 2008.