The Springfield Township Fire Department moved a parttime firefighter/paramedic to full-time status.
At the trustees April 17 meeting, Fire Chief Barry Cousino asked the trustees to accept the resignation of Jared Denman effective April 26, and recommended replacing him with Cameron Wood.
Firefighter Wood will begin working full-time on April 24 and his hourly pay rate will remain the same at $28.82, the chief said.
He noted that Mr. Wood is a Springfield High School graduate who started part time with the department in July 2021.
“He has done an excellent job,” and Chief Cousino said Firefighter Wood has completed his paramedic training and earned life squad certification. “He has accomplished a great deal in a short period of time here.”
Trustee Bob Bethel said it is nice to have a Springfield graduate in the department, noting Mr. Wood’s grandfather was a firefighter.
March Fire Report
There were 396 calls for service last month in the areas served by the township, which, in addition to Springfield, include the Village of Holland, and Harding, Spencer and Swanton townships.
Of those, 276 were in Springfield Township, followed by Holland, 57; Spencer, 16; Swanton, 13, and Harding, seven.
They provided mutual aid to Maumee and Sylvania Township, eight each; Sylvania, five; Toledo, three; Monclova Township, two, and Swanton, one.
“We have had quite an uptick in mutual aid calls with the City of Maumee,” the chief said, adding he believes, like several other departments in the area, the city is having issues with finding personnel.
“We have been fortunate,” he said, noting they have been able to replace departing members with part-time employees who have been “waiting in the wings.”
Of the nearly 400 calls, the vast majority were EMS calls, 71 percent and 29 percent were fire.
Last month, the department conducted 15 inspections, including re-inspections, seven; state, five; and sprinkler, special and annual, one each.
In addition, three site plans were reviewed and approved for Walmart, 1355 South McCord Road, remodel; Quality Care Products, 1605 Shanrock Drive, remodel, and Plastic Technologies, 1440 Timberwolf, fire alarm.
There were no fire investigations last mont.
Other Business
In other business, the trustees:
•Learned that the fire chief has been meeting with the Lucas county engineer’s office and ODOT to get updates on road projects in the region that will impact transportation routes.
“This construction not only affects our emergency response, but it also impacts our ability to readily transport patients to hospitals,” Chief Cousino said.
In a related matter, Mr. Bethel asked when St. Luke’s will discontinue operations and where patients will go, noting that the township currently transports many to the hospital’s emergency room.
The chief replied that for now, they are keeping the free standing emergency room. He believes, in the future, patients will be transported to other facilities or to Mercy Hospital Perrysburg.
•Heard from the chief that they continue to work with state representatives on legislation to fund the HERO program and others like it.
A joint venture with Sylvania Township fire, HERO, which stands for Health, Education, Resource and Outreach, is a program that offers help to residents in the community in need of assistance.
•Learned that the department attended a career fair at Springfield High School and a choice co-op at Christian Fellowship Church, speaking with students about careers as firefighters/ EMTs.
•Heard from the chief that he attended a program in Bowling Green hosted by the Ohio State fire Marshal’s office. “I was impressed with the extent of the offerings that the marshal’s office is now providing. They offer some amazing programs that I had not been aware of,” he said.
The next trustees meeting will be 5 p.m., Monday, May 1, at the township meeting hall, 7617 Angola Road, and is open to the public. It also can be viewed live on the township’s website at springfieldtown ship.net.
