Most senior Toledo firefighter is the first female to receive Badge No. 1

On a normal day, Pvt. Kathy Rickheim considers herself to be one of the guys. But Tuesday was anything but normal. She was recognized for her hard work and dedication to the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department. Badge No. 1 is presented to the most senior firefighter or firefighter-paramedic on the job. Rickheim joined the department in 1988 and received her paramedic certification in 1990. She said she never imagined getting this badge, even after nearly 32 years in the department. "It's a tough job and I've never had a position outside of working on the line. And, I do consider myself a role model to stick it out every day, every third day to come to work and being that it is such a tough job, yes females can do this job," Rickheim said.
ToledoNewsNow

Parma Fire Department Awarded Over $1 Million In Federal Funding

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, City of Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter and Parma Fire Chief Mike Lasky have announced that the Parma Fire Department will be awarded $1,051,073.80. The funding was awarded through a competitive grant application through the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. The Parma Fire Department will use the funding to hire eight new firefighters. “It is my privilege to announce the Parma Fire Department has been awarded more than a million dollars to invest in the hiring of eight new fire fighters,” said Rep. Kaptur. “Whether it is a fire, a flood or a car accident, we depend on first responders such as those at the Parma Fire Department to keep us safe. I am pleased to have worked with Parma Fire to ensure the City received the financial support it needed to hire professional first responders."
WTAM-AM 1100 Cleveland

Canal Fulton earns state Fire Department of the Year award

Being a firefighter or a paramedic is more than responding to emergency situations. For the Canal Fulton Fire Department, it’s about providing services and resources to help keep the community safe. The Fire Department will received the 2019 Ohio Fire Department of the Year Award this afternoon for its dedication and service to the community during the Ohio Hall of Fame Fire Service and Ohio Fire Awards ceremony. In Ohio’s 88 counties, 11,050 departments were eligible for the award. Canal Fulton firefighters serve an estimated 5,500 residents. Through an agreement with Lawrence Township, Canal Fulton provides joint service to another 13,382 residents. Together, the departments responded to more than 1,300 incidents in 2018. “It’s a small-town community,” said Capt. Shawn Yerian.
The Independent Online

Homeland Security awards Coshocton County fire department $287k for recruitment and retention

A fire department in Coshocton County was awarded over $285,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown said Tuesday $287,670 is for the recruitment and retention of firefighters through its Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program at the Jackson Township Fire Department. “Ohio firefighters and first-responders work every day to protect our families,” said Brown. “We must support our first-responder organizations so that communities like Jackson Township have the resources to shield families and homes from fire hazards.”
WTTE-TV Fox 28 Columbus

Newark City Council approves money for new fire station

City Council approved spending almost $3 million to build a new fire station on Sharon Valley Road, but two council members said they couldn't support the expenditure until they see a plan to staff all four stations in the city. Jeremy Blake, D-2nd Ward, a mayoral candidate running against incumbent Republican Jeff Hall, and Sean Fennell, D-7th Ward, voted Monday night against the ordinance, which provides for $2.95 million of bond anticipation notes to pay for site preparation and construction of the station. The other eight council members, including six Republicans and two Democrats, voted in favor of the ordinance. The city administration has argued the station is needed because the area has the slowest response times, and has grown, with new schools, sports venues and housing.
Newark Advocate

Firefighters flock to Fairborn for experiments in old shopping center

Fire departments from all over the country have flocked to Fairborn to study fire and firefighter safety. Underwriters Laboratories, a fire safety research group, has conducted fire experiments in Fairborn since Sept. 13. Their final experiment will be on Thursday, a researcher said. Fairborn Fire Chief Dave Reichert said this week’s study was one of the first done on a commercial building. “Fairborn has the ability to impact firefighting worldwide,” Reichert said. A number of different fires were lit in the old Skyway Shopping Plaza on Kauffman Avenue, which will be demolished after the study and become the city’s new public works facility. Fairborn, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Beavercreek and Goshen fire departments helped put out the fires.
WHIO-TV Dayton

Three-alarm blaze damages East Liverpool homes

Off duty, firefighters were called out early Tuesday to a house fire that threatened two neighboring homes in East Liverpool. The first fire crew to arrive on the 1000 Block of Huston Avenue reported that flames had spread through one home and were threatening houses on either side of the burning house. With firefighter's efforts hampered by fallen power lines, they called for another fire truck to Shafter Lane to protect one of the threatened homes. By then a third fire alarm was called in to all off duty firefighters to help out. Investigators say that although the fire damaged two homes, firefighters managed to save a third, occupied home. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
WFMJ-TV Youngstown NBC 21

Euclid fights paying cancer benefits under Palumbo Act to longtime city firefighter

Despite two state rulings ordering the City of Euclid to pay Palumbo Act benefits to one of its longtime firefighters, city officials continue to fight paying David Rowell presumptive cancer benefits. With his fellow firefighters lined up in support behind him, the Euclid fire captain described how city officials let him down during Monday night's council meeting. “I am deeply ashamed and disappointed in the way the city has treated me as a number, not as a human being," David Rowell said. Rowell said the City of Euclid continues has filed two appeals regarding his claim for Palumbo Act benefits, which would provide help with medical bills and additional sick leave. "It hurts me because I have come to work every single day, perform my job and not think about the actually fighting my claim," he said.
WEWS-TV IBS 5 Cleveland

Heavy flames shoot from detached garage in Dayton; fire deemed suspicious

A fire that significantly damaged a detached garage behind a home on Fountain Avenue in Dayton has been deemed suspicious, according to firefighters. Heavy flames and smoke were shooting from the structure shortly after the blaze was reported in the first block of Fountain Avenue around 5 a.m. No injuries were initially reported.
My Dayton Daily News

Touch-A-Truck in Bay Village featured children’s heroes as well as a family business

The annual Touch-A-Truck in Bay Village was on September 14. It’s a family time to bring the kiddies out to play firefighter and police officer almost for real. It’s also an opportunity for the kids to meet and see real live firefighters and police officers as their heroes and to climb all around on the first responders’ vehicles that include fire trucks, police cars and EMS vehicles. The event is always a success and makes both parents and kids happy. What kids wouldn’t want to spend some time there? If your family missed it this year, try to make it next year. Maybe you will be blessed with the absolutely perfect weather the visitors had this year. In addition to the real-life vehicles, there was a giant, inflatable fire truck with slides that looked to be about 20 feet high. Nearby was a small food truck trailer. It turned out to be a family business.
Cleveland Plain Dealer & Cleveland.com