MIAMI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — For the past five months, maintaining the status quo for fire and EMS services has proven difficult for Miami Township.
More than 50 full and part-time firefighters, as well as EMS personnel, provide service to the township of more than 15,000 people. The department also contracts with the neighboring villages of Addyston, Cleves and North Bend.
It's not the largest coverage area, but the lack of main thoroughfares makes navigating from one end to the other challenging.
"From one station to get to the other side, it could be up to 20 minutes, and 20 minutes is a lot of time when you're having a heart attack or you're having a stroke or you're just sick or your house is on fire," Fire Chief Matt Schumann told WCPO on Tuesday. "That's a lot of time to wait."
Without the ability to allow overtime, the Hamilton County community's fire department has been forced to temporarily close one of its three fire stations on any given day when there isn't enough staff working a shift.
"We've got (Station 69) closed today, and we've had a couple of back-to-back calls and Green Township had to come in and help us," Schumann said.
Staff and facilities have been spread thin since November, when the township's fire levy was up for renewal. The township needed more money to not only sustain staffing and facilities but also offer competitive pay and bring in more hires," Township Administrator Jim Brett said.
Trustees had two choices: put a renewal levy on the ballot and a separate new one, or combine the two. Trustees opted for the latter, proposing a 6.5 mil levy. Brett said that backfired when voters failed to pass it.
"We didn't do a good enough job explaining (why we combined the two)," Brett said. "Because since then, we heard from people that they thought that if they voted against that, we would still have the existing levy, but it expired."
Watch here to learn more about how the new proposed levy would impact fire and EMS services in Miami Township and surrounding communities:
When the levy failed in November, Schumann said he felt defeated. But he also looked at the result as a chance to learn and try again.
"The atmosphere at the station was definitely very somber — 'What do we do next?' Some questions of 'Why did it fail?' 'What can we do better next time?' We tried to spin it around into a positive thing — how do we get out into the community so we can show them and talk to them about what we do and how we do it," Schumann said. "I do believe that the community supports us and our firefighters feel that same way. We just have to make it right for the public at this point."
Now, the township is trying again with an amended version of November's attempt. In two weeks, voters will have the opportunity to pass a 4.5 mil fire levy. That rate translates to an additional $158 for each $100,000 of assessed value.
If passed, it would generate more than $1.6 million for the fire department, allowing it to keep all three stations staffed 24/7 and afford six more firefighters.
You can check the Hamilton County auditor's website to see how the levy would affect you.
The department would still need some funding help from the township's general fund, though marginally less than what it currently requires. The department would have become self-sufficient if voters had passed the November levy.
"(This levy) would get us through 2030, hopefully longer than that. This is a continuous levy, so we don't have to go for a renewal in five years," Schumann said.
Should voters reject this levy on May 6, township officials warn public safety could take a hit in the form of job cuts, longer response times and even the permanent closure of one of the three fire stations.
Should that happen, however, Schumann stresses it does not mean the community will be left without emergency services.
"Someone's going to show up. I promise that. It might not be us, but somebody will show up for your emergency, Schumann said. "I just can't guarantee that it's going to be in a timely fashion that you would normally see somebody get there."
The township is holding an informational meeting at the administration building on Shady Lane in North Bend for anyone wishing to learn more about the levy. It's happening at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 26.
