Board Meeting Change
The Board Meeting scheduled for September 14th has been moved to September 21st. The meeting will begin at 7pm at the Fire Station located at 139 Columbus Rd. Fredericktown.
Swearing-in Ceremony for Brad Porter
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!
We are excited to announce that Brad Porter will be joining the fire department as an Honorary Firefighter. There will be a swearing-in ceremony on Saturday, July 09, at 11:00 am. The location will be at the fire station. The public is invited to attend this memorable event to support one of the most well known and beloved people in Fredericktown and a great ambassador for our community.
Please join us in welcoming Brad to the Department on his special day! We look forward to seeing everyone there. Congratulations Brad!
Barn Fire on Lower Fred-Amity Rd.
On 3/14 units were dispatched at approx. 3:21pm to Lower Fred-Amity Rd. on reports of a structure fire. Units were en route at 3:23 and arrived at 3:29 to a fully involved barn fire with an adjacent structure on fire as well. FCFD units included CH-411, E419, R415, G412, G414 and T417. Mutual Aid was proved by Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District, Monroe Township Fire Dept, Mt. Vernon Fire Dept, Worthington Township Fire Dept, Jefferson Township Fire Dept, and Fredericktown EMS. All units were back in quarters at 6:50pm.
Smoke detectors to the rescue again!
Smoke detectors to the rescue again……..
In the early hours of Sunday morning, we were dispatched to a reported structure fire in a home in Fredericktown. Smoke in the house was found upon arrival.
A smoke detector had alerted and awakened the sleeping residents and they were able to exit the building and call 911.
The fire was contained to the kitchen with smoke damage occurring throughout the house. There were no injuries.
This is the second fire within several weeks in which a smoke detector awakened sleeping residents and clearly prevented a potential tragedy.
Be sure to install multiple smoke detectors throughout your home, test them regularly, and replace the battery at least twice per year.
A bittersweet week
It has been a bittersweet week for the Fredericktown Community Fire District as we send off Firefighter Brayden Mast for the next step in the journey called life. Firefighters gathered for a dinner on Thursday night to wish him the best in his upcoming adventure in life as he joins the Army this week and leaves on the 27th for basic.
Brayden will be headed to Fort Benning for training as he chases his lifelong goal of becoming an Army Ranger.
We wish you the best Brayden and we truly mean that there is always a place here for you. We are proud of what you are doing in your choice to serve our country.
Training and preparedness
Training and preparedness are essential for a safe and competent response to an emergency incident. We are dedicated to providing our personnel with training opportunities to prepare them for any situation they may encounter.
Our department conducts department wide training a minimum of two evenings per month. There are also other additional trainings that may take place at any time.
There are three levels of certification in the fire service.
(1) Volunteer Firefighter – This is the minimum level of certification required to provide firefighting services in the State of Ohio and requires 36 hours of initial training.
(2) Firefighter I – This is an intermediate level of certification that requires 160 hours of initial training.
(3) Firefighter II – This is the highest level of certification and is the required certification for career firefighters. This level requires 240 hours of initial training.
We have 6 personnel trained at the Volunteer Firefighter level, with three of those currently enrolled in a Firefighter I certification class. There are 4 personnel trained at the Firefighter I level and 15 trained at the Firefighter II level.
We take pride in having the majority of our personnel being certified at the career firefighter level. Additionally, several of our members have careers as professional firefighters. However, all certification levels and careers are welcomed at our department and everyone’s membership is appreciated.
Training requirements do not stop after the initial certification. The State of Ohio requires specific numbers of hours of continuing education in order to maintain certification.
We are always seeking individuals that have a passion for serving their community. There are multiple roles and capacities that a person can fulfill as we realize that not everyone is comfortable operating inside of a burning building. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if you are interested in becoming a member.
What does the fire department do for the community?
What does the FCFD do for our community? Do we just fight fires? In general, we respond to basically any incident that is not specifically designated for law enforcement or emergency medical services. However, we do respond for assistance to those entities when requested.
The following list provides some examples of the types of services we have offered and types of incidents we have responded to throughout the years.
A) Fires – structure, grass, vehicle, chimney, trash
B) Vehicle accidents – victim extrication, traffic control for law
enforcement, EMS assistance
C) Odor investigations
D) Detector activations – smoke, carbon monoxide, general fire
alarms
E) Fire inspections
F) Fire prevention – schools, preschools, civic organizations
G) Smoke Detector Drive
H) Fan Drive
I) Land searches for missing people
J) Water removal from flooded basements
K) Hazardous material responses
L) Downed power lines
M) Gasoline leaks
N) Animal incidents – cat in tree, dog in river, deer trapped on ice,
dog trapped on ice, cow trapped on ice, rescue animals from a
collapsed barn
O) Water incidents – victim recovery, stranded motorists, vehicle
recovery, evidence recovery for law enforcement
P) Explosives incidents
Q) Propane leaks – in homes, tanks
R) Downed trees in roadway removal
S) Lightning strikes on a residence
T) Street cleaning after the street fair
U) Natural gas leaks – in homes, underground
V) Clean up of Knox Lake
W) Firefighters Association activities – toy drive, scholarship
X) Provide mutual aid assistance to other departments
Y) Detector battery replacements
Z) And yes, we have plunged a clogged toilet.
In summary, we are here to assist our community in any way in which we can.
FD Issues clarification
Fire District clarifies KnoxPages article
The Fredericktown Community Fire District is issuing a clarification regarding an October 13 article from online media source Knoxpages.com. Their article regarding township fire contracts also mentions millage from around the county, specifically Fredericktown, which they stated has an “increase on the Nov 3 ballot.”
We would like to clarify that there is no question on the ballot from the Fredericktown Community Fire District asking for an increase in millage for fire protection. The district is however seeking a renewal of our 1mill levy which originated in the year 2001 and is voted on every five-years.
“What we have on the ballot is a renewal only, which would keep our funding the same,” said FCFD Public Information Officer Jason Bostic. “We are very thankful for the continued support of our residents, and strive to maintain that. We are not asking more of those within our fire district and our levy is not new taxes.”
Fire protection services from the FCFD are funded through (2) two, separate one mill levies which date back to 2001 and 2004. The only reason changes were made at that time was due to the Village of Chesterville dropping from our protection area. Otherwise there have been no changes to levies or verbiage for several decades.
Morris Township, an entity which the FCFD provides fire protection for was also mentioned numerous times in the article. Our fire district provides fire protection for those residing in Morris “A”, or the greater part of the northern half of the township. Again, we would reiterate that the FCFD is not requesting any changes to funding levels. Morris “A” has been a part of the FCFD since the creation of the fire district in 1974. They are represented on our fire board by township trustee Dick Kershner.
FCFD asking to RENEW existing levy.
The Fredericktown Community Fire District will ask voters this November 3, to approve and support the renewal to an existing 1-mil levy fire protection levy for a period of five years. The levy would commence in 2021, and first due in calendar year 2022.
We would like to emphasize that this is a renewal, not new taxes or changes taking place with funding for the FCFD. This levy directly funds the operations of the FCFD on a yearly basis and is responsible for providing the fire protection services to the residents of Berlin Township, Middlebury Township, Morris Township (A), Pike Township, Wayne Township, and the Village of Fredericktown. The last change to funding for the fire district was roughly two decades ago, with the levy verbiage dating back even further.
“The levy that our residents are seeing in November directly impacts our ability to operate and provide their fire protection,” said FCFD Public Information Officer Jason Bostic. “Our levy funding determines our ability to decide what equipment we can purchase and the level of services that we are able to offer to the community.”
While the levy is no different in valuation or the verbiage for a considerably long time, the improved services that the district provides have drastically changed. Over the course of the last 10-15 years we have made significant changes to safety equipment which we utilize, upgrades fire apparatus, increased the level of training, increased community outreach, and so much more. Other notable changes include the construction of a second firehouse In Pike Township, the operation of a fire cadet program that works as a feeder program to bring in new firefighters, and the addition of daytime staffing Monday through Friday.
“It takes a lot of forecasting and looking to the future in order to balance out the projects that we have here at the FCFD. We aren’t just looking at next quarter, we are looking years down the road,” said Bostic. “Apparatus replacements, fire gear replacements, and other pieces of equipment all have a life cycle that we strive to maintain and get the best use out of.”
In addition to the levy funding, yearly the department seeks grant opportunities at the Local, State, and Federal levels that allows them to fund equipment purchases and pay for the cost of training. Over the course of the last 15 years, the FCFD has been awarded at least one, sometimes as many as three grants a year to handle the costs of projects that further the mission of the district. Major upgrades to hydraulic rescue tools, lifting bags, stabilization struts, radio equipment, laptops, training props, SCBA equipment, protective gear, and hand tools are just some of the physical items that grants have made possible.
In 2019 a significant local grant allowed us to upgrade and expand the capabilities of our dive rescue team at the FCFD. As one of two dive teams in the county and having a significant amount of water in our own fire district, these new capabilities provide a faster and safer means for our divers to operate. Grants don’t just help us, but the improvements made through our grant work also help our neighboring departments wherever we are called to serve through mutual-aid.
Careful expenditures combined with solid planning from the Chief down has been a key over the course of time. Within the FCFD we have firefighters with a wide variety of background and expertise that come to the table when we look at purchases and improvements.
Ultimately, beyond all the accomplishments that the fire district has attained over the years, it is the community support that drives our mission. Our citizens, those we serve have graciously supported and trusted us at the voting booth and beyond. That community support is something the firefighters don’t take lightly. Although a paid-per-call department, they hold professionalism and customer service as a key part of their operation.
Firefighters for the district recognize that regardless of the situation, when people make contact with us, that we need to be the problem solvers and often fill gaps from other services. Things such as clearing roadways from storms, pumping basements from flooding, providing answers and someone to point them in the right direction for answers.
The FCFD combination fire department utilizing daytime staffing Monday-Friday along with a dedicated group of paid-per-call firefighters to accomplish our mission. We protect the residents of 118-square miles of northwest Knox County and those that pass through on a daily basis. We operate two stations with 28 current members with over 50% of our members being certified at the 240-hour professional firefighter level. Our department fleet consists of two engines, a rescue, tanker, two grass trucks, dive rescue boat, dive rescue trailer, fire ATV, and a chief’s vehicle.
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