Dayton has to decide whether to seek federal grant to hire more firefighters

The city of Dayton has until Wednesday evening to seek a federal grant that would give the fire department millions of dollars. However, it would also cost the city money during a difficult time in the city’s economy. A recent change in the city’s charter allows it to apply for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant from FEMA. The charter change happened before the COVID-19 pandemic. “None of us saw the COVID emergency coming around the corner when we were working so hard in October to make that happen,” City Manager Shelley Dickstein said Tuesday night. Dayton Firefighters Local 136, the union representing the Dayton Fire Department’s members, wants the city to apply. “We’re trying to maintain a level of service Dayton citizens are used to and deserve,” said Kraig Robinson, Dayton Firefighters Local 136.
WHIO-TV CBS 7 Dayton

Family escapes Oregon house fire

A family of four was able to escape a fire at their home in Oregon on Wednesday morning. Firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the roof of the home on South Wheeling and flames all throughout the attic when they arrived to the scene. Crews say the house had smoke alarms that started working once the flames broke out. Two adults and two children were able to safely get out of the home. Crews believe the children are of elementary school age. It is unclear at this time what started the fire. The damage the fire has done to the home is unknown at this time. The Red Cross has been called to the scene to assist the family.
WTOL-TV CBS 11 Toledo

Bucyrus City Council votes on SAFER Grant application for fire and EMS staffing

Bucyrus City Council met in a special session Tuesday evening to vote on whether to override a veto by Mayor Jeff Reser on legislation to apply for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and EMS Response (SAFER) Grant. In a letter to the media Tuesday morning, Reser said that while he has been a proponent of putting the EMS service into the fire department in the past, this is not the way to do it during a pandemic since the grant will require the city to hire six new people for the fire department. “In addition, we haven’t even made a decision to leave the (Central Joint Ambulance) District. We are getting the cart before the horse. Let’s be prudent and get a good plan going forward,” said Reser.
WQEL-FM 92.7

Canton ammunition factory goes up in flames

An ammunition factory was destroyed by fire late Tuesday night. No one was hurt and the city’s Fire Prevention Bureau continued Wednesday morning to investigate the cause of the blaze at 50 BMG Supply, 1311 Gross Ave. NE. Doug Lewis, acting battalion chief, said ammunition was popping and heavy fire was coming through the roof when firefighters arrived at the scene at 11:47 p.m. The blaze spread to the house on the north side, stretching into the attic and resulting in heavy smoke damage throughout. Two people inside the home were evacuated without injury, and the local American Red Cross was assisting them on Wednesday with emergency needs, Lewis said. A company was called to secure their home. The blaze also spread to the wooded area behind the concrete structure, Lewis said.
The Independent Online

Fire breaks out at Boardman Plaza

A Boardman shopping center damaged by flooding last year has now been damaged by fire. Flames were reported at the Boardman Plaza on Boardman Canfield Road at around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The first firefighter on the scene reported seeing smoke coming from the roof near Dutchess Cleaners and called for help from Canfield fire crews. Firefighters also inspected the nearby recruiting center, Rondenelli Tuxedo and Frosby Frozen Yogurt for smoke damage. Firefighters stretched a hose across Route 224 as they battled the fire and power was shut down to that portion of the plaza. There's no word on the cause of the fire. The amount of damage is still being tallied.
WFMJ-TV NBC 21 Youngstown

Two East Cleveland firefighters recovering after falling through floor of apartment after fire

Two East Cleveland firefighters are recovering after falling through the floor of an apartment building after a fire. The fire happened around 5:30 a.m. on Roxford Road. It took crews an hour to put the fire out. The building was vacant. When crews went inside to check out the damage, two fire fighters went through the floor. Officials said the firefighters are doing well. No other injuries were reported.
WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland

Firefighters investigate fatal fire in Salem

City firefighters are on the scene of a fatal fire on Westview Drive where one man died Sunday, along with some pets. Officials on scene said the man was 64 years old and three dogs and one cat also died in the fire. The name of the victim was not being released at this time. The fire department received a call around 5 p.m. from a neighbor. Salem Fire Chief Scott Mason said the State Fire Marshal’s Office was enroute and police were on scene also, according to Salem News. No other family members were home when the fire started and the single story structure was heavily involved upon arrival of the fire department.
WYTV-TV ABC 33 Youngstown

Mayfield Heights firefighters battle fire at Drake apartments, two people hospitalized

Firefighters battled an apartment fire at the Drake in Mayfield Heights on Saturday. According to the department, it happened around 2:15 p.m. Upon arrival, they found smoke and flames in one of the apartments on the fifth floor. The owner was able to safely escape. Firefighters deployed the ladder truck for back up but didn’t end up needing it. Two others in the building were taken to Hillcrest Hospital for precautionary reasons. No other details on their condition were provided. The cause is still under investigation.
WJW-TV MyFox 8 Cleveland

Multiple crews battle house fire in Poland

Firefighters from multiple departments battled a fire in Poland Sunday afternoon. They were called after 2 p.m. for a fire in the 3000 block of Denver Drive. According to officials at the scene, no one was hurt. A neighbor said that no one was home at the time. “When I got closer and ran up to the house, I could smell a very pungent odor, like burning plastic or paper, and I looked up and saw there were flickers of flame coming from the rooftop and I knew right away it was definitely a fire,” said George Boyarko, a neighbor. Officials say they rescued multiple exotic animals from the house. Two of the rescued animals were injured. One of the animals–a dog–was transported with unknown injuries. The other animal was treated on scene.
WYTV-TV ABC 33 Youngstown

Chardon man thankful for quick EMS response time after suffering heart attack during the pandemic

Andrew Gruber will tell you he likes to stay in shape. “I ref football and ump baseball in high school,” he said. “So I try to stay pretty active.” He’s also a runner. So when his physical was canceled in early April he said he didn’t think too much about it. Until he started feeling sick a few days later. On April 16, he “was having a little bit - I thought it was maybe just indigestion or something back then.” But he soon found out it wasn’t indigestion. "And all of a sudden I just felt it getting worse, so as soon as it started to get worse, I hurried up and called 911,” he said. “And within five minutes they were at my doorstep." Gruber was having a heart attack. “When we got on scene, he was definitely in distress,” said Michael Bennett. “He was laying on the couch complaining of nine and 10 chest pain.”
WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland

Avon Lake firefighters catch 2 ’masked bandits’ who triggered fire alarm

PHOTO: Avon Lake firefighters responding to a fire alarm Saturday morning found two masked bandits had fallen through a ceiling and hit an alarm “during a botched break-in attempt.” The bandits fell through when the ceiling tiles they were walking on crumbled beneath them, firefighters said. Crews from Platoon 3 helped "assist the masked bandits to freedom," firefighters said. No injuries were reported. Or bites for that matter.
WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland