COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — If you spend just a couple of hours with the firefighters at Station 25 in Colerain Township, you'll quickly notice how close they all are. From cooking food to cracking jokes, the culture is a big part of the department's success.
So when they're called to respond to an emergency, their notable chemistry leads to a fast response.
"Each and every single piece of work they do throughout the day is embedded in teamwork," Assistant Fire Chief Will Mueller said.
Amid the department's 50th anniversary, their success continues to grow.
In Ohio, there are more than 1,180 fire departments. Out of all of those departments, the Ohio Department of Public Safety recently announced Colerain Township's Department of Fire & EMS as the 2025 Fire Department of the Year.
The award recognizes the department’s unwavering dedication to excellence in service, innovation in emergency response and steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of the community.
Hear more about the fire department's reaction to the award in the video below:
Mueller said the award is an honor for the department.
"All of those years of hard work through every member of our organization culminated into that point where someone said, 'You guys are Fire Department of the Year,'" Mueller said.
Mueller credited the department's past and present members, who he said play a major part in creating what the department is today.
"It also highlights years of that tradition that goes on before Colerain Township Department was formed in 1975," Mueller said.
Mueller said winning this type of award is a result of work that goes beyond just responding to calls for service.
He said the department has created a non-emergency response model to address social issues that they encounter regularly. He said that includes looking at additional needs for residents that may be created by social gaps or health care issues.
"Some of those efforts surround fall prevention, some of them surround addiction response," Mueller said. "Some of them surround social gaps in healthcare like food, clothes, or basic shelter."
He said they follow up with patients to make sure they are getting the proper care needed to hopefully prevent future emergencies.
Another big part of how the department goes above and beyond includes their community outreach.
Kerrie Lerman is the department's community educator. She said she often teaches parents in the community safety tips, like how to properly install a car seat.
"I do any kind of public safety with the children in day cares and the schools," Lerman said.
Lerman said a big part of what she does includes outreach for non-English speaking residents.
"Educating those people was very important to me, because children are important and they need to be kept safe," Lerman said.
Lerman said winning the award reaffirms that the work she and the other first responders are doing is working.
"Knowing that what we are putting out there is paying off is a huge, huge pat on the back for everybody," Lerman said.
Mueller said they're hoping to continue their success. He said he wants their work to be a blueprint for other departments and agencies to follow.
"Our goal is to take these programs, and not just apply them here in Colerain Township, but also make them a model for other organizations to implement," Mueller said.
The department will accept the award in Columbus on Wednesday, May 14.
