The retirement of a member of the Springfield Township Fire Department has necessitated a change in personnel.
At the May 17 meeting, the township trustees approved the promotion of firefighter John Romstadt to lieutenant and firefighter Jared Baker from part-time to full-time status. The two men were sworn in at the meeting, and their new positions take effect on May 24.
Lt. Romstadt, who will be paid $26.77 per hour, has 27 years of experience. He began working for Springfield in 2014, said Fire Chief Barry Cousino. “He has demonstrated leadership and is reliable and dependable,” he added.
Hired part time last September, firefighter Baker will be paid $24.76 per hour. Since starting with the department, Chief Cousino said Mr. Baker “has been exceptional and very reliable.”
In a related matter, the trustees issued a proclamation commending retired Captain Blair Wise “for his service to the Springfield Township Fire Department and the Springfield Township community.”
Captain Wise ended his duties on the morning of May 17, climbing a 20-foot fire ladder and ringing the bell in recognition of his last shift.
The captain joined the department in 1980. He was promoted to engineer in 1985 and became captain in 1990. He began working full time for the department in 2005.
“Captain Wise has been involved in teaching numerous firefighters in firefighting tactics and has mentored and developed several firefighters over his 40-plus year career,” the trustees wrote in the proclamation, adding, “through his different roles and responsibilities, he has been instrumental in the protection of our community and personally responsible for saving countless lives.”
Fire Report
Chief Cousino presented the fire department’s April run report.
There were 425 calls for service in the areas served by the township, which include Springfield, Holland, and Harding, Spencer and Swanton townships. Of the calls the department responded to, Springfield had the most, 356, followed by Spencer Township, 28; Holland, 25; Swanton Township, 15; Sylvania Township, eight; Harding Township, two, and Richfield Township, one.
The majority of calls were EMS, 296, followed by service, 53; series, 34; fire, 18; false alarm, 13, and hazmat, nine.
The department conducted 11 inspections last month including state, foster/home study, sprinkler systems and final remodels, two each.
In addition, nine site plans were approved for Clark Schaefer Hackett, 1656 Henthorne; Kohl’s, 1220 South Holland Sylvania Road; (2) Social Club and Event Center, 7723 Airport Highway; Chick-fil-A, 6720 Airport Highway; Honey Baked Ham, 6145 Merger Drive; Ace Diversified Services, 1750 Trade; Culver’s, 6600 Centers Drive, and Target, 1465 East Mall Drive.
Other Business
In other fire department business, the trustees:
•Approved repairs to HVAC energy conservation systems at the fire stations at a cost of $8,210.
The bill will be paid pending review by legal counsel.
•Received an update on the Lucas County 911 Regional Council of Governments.
“Last month, the board discussed contracting with non-jurisdictional entities that may desire to participate in the RCOG,” the fire chief said. Those could include the Air National Guard, University of Toledo and Metroparks Toledo.
Additionally, he noted the RCOG fire/EMS technical advisory committee met to discuss how to make the fire service response more uniform to avoid confusion. “The committee has been working on standardization of terminology and response standards,” the chief said.
•Learned that the fire chief met with Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre to discuss staffing for the Freedom Celebration on June 26. “We will be developing an emergency operations plan for all participants,” Chief Cousino said.
•Heard from the fire chief that many of the virtual or conference call meetings are beginning to dwindle as groups return to in-person meetings.
“We are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” he added.
•Announced there are only a few openings remaining for the Safety Town program this summer. “We are close to being full,” Chief Cousino noted.
•Passed a proclamation declaring the week of May 16 to 22 as Emergency Medical Services Week.
The next trustees meeting will be at 5 p.m., Monday, June 7, at the township meeting room, 7617 Angola Road, and is open to the public.
The meeting also can be viewed via the livestream at springfieldtownship.net.
