Four Springfield Township dispatchers were praised for their service to the community at the September 20 trustees meeting,
Fire Chief Barry Cousino said the dispatchers are leaving the township’s consolidated dispatching service which is now becoming part of the 911 countywide system.
They have been hired by the Lucas County Regional Council of Governments to be part of the new county 911 system.
The chief commended them on their service. “They have been doing an excellent job.”
The trustees agreed, noting they wanted to take this opportunity to thank them for their service.
Recognized were Rosanna Artz, Hydie Gorsuch, Erica Branch and Wade Jones.
Ms. Artz has been with the department since February 21, 1994; Ms. Gorsuch, January 15, 2005; Ms. Branch, September 18, 2017, and Mr. Jones, December 17, 2018.
The trustees presented each with a proclamation that read, in part, “public safety dispatchers are the single vital link for our firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio, providing them information and ensuring their safety.”
“The work of these unseen first responders is invaluable in emergency situations, and each of the dedicated individuals deserve our heartfelt appreciation.”
In a related matter, Chief Cousino announced that the Lucas County 911 RCOG has set a date of October 10 for consolidation of dispatch services.
August Run Report
The fire chief presented the department’s August run report. There were 437 calls for help in the areas served by the township, which include Springfield, Holland, Harding, Spencer and Swanton townships. Of the calls, Springfield had the most, 310, followed by Spencer Township, 42; Holland, 38; Swanton Township, 20, and Harding Township, nine.
The department also responded to mutual/auto aid calls for Sylvania Township, 10; Monclova Township, three; Swanton and Sylvania, two apiece.
The majority of calls were EMS, 275, followed by public service assistance, 76; wrong location and dispatched and canceled en route, 17 each, and electrical, eight.
The department conducted 15 inspections last month including state, 11; adoption/foster/home study, two, and new business and sprinkler system, one each.
In addition, three site plans were approved at Anatrace, 6201 Trust Drive, sprinkler alteration; Metroparks Toledo, 4139 Girdham Road, new construction; Barney’s Convenience, 1456 South Holland Sylvania Road, site plan.
They also conducted one vehicle fire investigation at 10300 Industrial Boulevard, which occurred with a forklift in a production area. Damage was estimated at $2,000, and the cause remains under investigation.
Other Business
In other fire department business, the trustees:
•Heard from Chief Cousino that the department conducted a drill with Bubba’s Heavy Duty Towing and Truck Repair, 10101 Garden Road, Monclova.
“The drill was amazing,” he said, adding company personnel walked them through equipment they use for extrication from commercial vehicles and offered to assist the fire department with emergencies at no cost.
One week after the drill, the chief said Bubba’s was called to assist in a multi-vehicle crash. “They arrived very quickly,” he said, noting their assistance was appreciated. “It’s a great partnership we have with them.”
•Learned that the department continues to provide a medic unit at every home Springfield High School football game and had a unit present during the recent Party by the Pond at Homecoming Park.
•Discussed the new I-475/Dorr Street interchange. Chief Cousino said the interchange “will be a remarkable improvement for the fire department’s response. It will improve our response times to incidents on the expressway and improve our transport times to hospitals.”
He also believes the interchange will result in less traffic exiting at Airport Highway, leading to a reduction of accidents on Route 2.
•Learned that with the resurgence of COVID-19 incidents, the weekly health wellness officer virtual meetings have resumed.
“There are representatives from every fire and police department, health department staff and emergency physicians. We continue to monitor staffing levels regarding isolation or quarantine of our members.”
The chief pointed out that over the past weekend, Lucas County had almost every hospital on EMS standby, resulting in patients being transported to other locations.
“A lot of communities are going through the same thing,” he said, attributing the problem to a combination of COVID cases, other patient hospitalizations and a shortage of staff.
The next trustees meeting will be at 5 p.m., Monday, October 4, at the township meeting room, 7617 Angola Road, and is open to the public. The meeting also can be viewed via the livestream at springfieldtown ship.net.
~Jane Maiolo
