City's public safety dept. fills holes with new hires

Thu, Oct 22, 2009    to del.icio.us

The Grand Haven Department of Public Safety has announced a number of new hires to fill spots opened by departed or departing members of the department.

First, the department has hired Ashley Bergstrom as a full-time public safety officer, Public Safety Director Dennis Edwards said. A graduate of Godwin Heights High School in Wyoming, Bergstrom also graduated from Grand Valley State University with honors and was awarded the Scholastic Achievement Award upon graduating from GVSU's Police Academy.

Bergstrom worked as a police cadet for the Holland Police Department and was also an intern at the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety before being hired full-time, Edwards said. She enjoys spending time with her cat; playing basketball, volleyball and softball; reading; and camping.

Bergstrom filled the position vacated by Tom Carey, who resigned in August after misconduct allegations surfaced against him. Carey later pleaded no contest to one count of gross indecency between male and female, and one count of misconduct in office. He is scheduled for a No. 2 sentencing in 20th Circuit Court in Grand Haven.

The department has also hired Nikki Dominguez-Hill to replace departing Executive Assistant Rita Green, Edwards said. Green is retiring Oct. 30.

Born in California and raised in Texas, Dominguez-Hill is a graduate of the University of Texas. She is bilingual, Edwards said, and will be able to assist officers when needed.

Dominguez-Hill and her fiancé have five children between them. She enjoys cooking, traveling outside of the country, reading and spending time with her family.

Edwards also announced the hiring of Travis Schippers, Joseph Balder and Jeff Hughes as paid on-call firefighters. They will only be called during an active fire or to fill an occasional shift, Edwards said.

Schippers is a Fruitport High School graduate who has also attended the Ottawa County Fire Academy. He worked for the Crockery Township Fire Department after finishing with the academy, Edwards said, and has worked for the Coopersville/Polkton Fire Department and Medical Team. He also has worked as a dispatcher for AeroMed.

Balder is a six-year veteran of the Dalton Township Fire Department, where he currently serves as captain. He has received his Firefighter I and II, Michigan First Responder, Company Officer and Incident Command training, Edwards said. He is currently self-employed as an emergency vehicle technician.

A Chelsea High School graduate, Hughes moved to Grand Rapids in 2000 after being hired as a full-time firefighter by the city of Kentwood. He is also a 12-year firefighting veteran and an active reservist in the U.S. Coast Guard, Edwards said. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, and he and wife Melissa are expecting their first child in February.

Finally, the department has hired Amy Comes as a part-time administrative aide. Comes replaces Allysha Elmer, who moved to the state of Washington, Edwards said.

Comes is a lifelong Muskegon resident who served as an administrative assistant for a Muskegon-area firm for 20 years before coming to the GHDPS. She enjoys spending time with her husband of 15 years, Roger, and their children: Devin, 11; and identical 6-year-old twins, Hannah and Haley.