LIMA — If you have a desire to be a first responder, Lima might be the place to be.
That is the conclusion of consumer research website GoodCall.com after ranking 835 U.S. cities according to the best locations for first responders. Out of that list, Lima ranked as the top city in Ohio and the seventh-best city nationally.
According to GoodCall.com, the ranking took into account job availability, salary competitiveness, cost of living, unemployment, crime statistics, educational attainment and local amenities, including restaurants and bars. It also used information from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, job search website Indeed.com and Federal Bureau of Investigation crime statistics.
Lima Mayor David Berger said this ranking highlights how well the community recognizes the importance of first responders.
“Our community greatly appreciates our safety services divisions for the full range of quality police, fire and emergency services they provide to Lima’s citizens,” he said in a statement. “The men and women that make up our police, fire and safety services divisions work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year to keep all of Lima safe, and for that the community is grateful.”
GoodCall.com said that Lima’s average salary for first responders is 156 percent of the median national salary for emergency medical technicians, firefighters, police and sheriff’s officers. The ranking also listed Lima’s cost of living as just over 20 percent below the national average, with almost 80 related jobs open per 10,000 residents.
Other Ohio cities that were also included in the ranking’s top 100 were Chillicothe (43), Westerville (44) and Delaware (84). Middletown (757) was among the bottom 100 cities in the list.
