In the play window above - our interview with Chief Baird and Assistant Chief Wells.
Below - our final article before the March 19th Election.
For the first time in a decade, Hilliard and Norwich Township voters are being asked on Tuesday to approve a new permanent levy to meet the operating costs of the Norwich Township Fire Department which includes the construction and equipping of a fourth station.
Norwich Township Fire Chief David Baird said while turnout has been sparse at several public meetings that fire department command staff has staged to answer questions and describe the need for passage of the levy, he is cautiously optimistic that residents, who have historically supported, recognizes the importance of fire and EMS service.
“Passing the fire levy is essential for the Norwich Township Fire Department to uphold the highest standards of fire and EMS services,” Baird said.
If the 4.9-mill levy is approved, it would cost a homeowner an additional $172 annually per $100,000 property evaluation, and would generate an estimated $9.2 million annually, according to the Franklin County Auditor’s Office.
Revenue would be used to add up to 24 additional firefighters and construct and equip Station 84, a new station to be constructed on the east side of Alton Darby Road, south of Davis Road.
Norwich has a current staff of 93 full-time firefighters including command staff and its fire prevention bureau.
The station itself is to be built on 3.5 acres purchased from the City of Hilliard for $1 and within the city’s 125-acre campus for athletic fields and a 105,000-square foot, $106.3 million Recreation and Wellness Campus set to open in mid-2025.
At about 1,650 square feet, it will be comparable in size with the township’s other stations, Baird said.
Norwich Township staffs and equips three stations- Station 81 at 5181 Northwest Parkway, adjacent to the Franklin County Fairgrounds; Station 82, at 2491 Walker Road, in Brown Township; and Station 83 at 4283 Davidson Road.
“By adding up to 24 additional firefighters, the department can ensure unmatched response times and program quality within Ohio,” Baird said.
These programs include Focus Hilliard, a quality-of-live service available to residents that offers car-seat installation and in-home fire safety inspections.
Like almost everything, the cost of to purchase and maintain equipment, as well as personnel, continues to increase, Baird said.
As an example of the rise in operating costs, Baird said a fire engine in 2013 cost taxpayers $469,446.
Today, a new fire engine can take up to four years to build and cost approximately $1.2 million, Baird said.
An ambulance in 2013 cost $211,000; today an ambulance is approximately $324,124, according to Baird.
Norwich Township also strives to maintain the highest possible ISO rating which keeps house insurance rates as low as possible for residents, Baird said.
An ISO fire rating is a score provided to fire departments and insurance companies by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) and takes into account how well-equipped and how quickly fire departments can respond in a given community or service area, among other factors.
“Failing to pass this levy could lead to service reductions, impacting programs like Focus Hilliard that benefit the community. Staffing cuts through attrition may result in delayed responses, fewer public education initiatives, and decreased fire safety inspections,” Baird said.
Baird said he is cautiously optimistic that the voter’s historical support for fire levy ballot issues and the township’s demonstrated fiscal responsibility will show when voters go to polls Tuesday, March 19.
“In 2013, we told voters the levy would last seven years,” but we exceeded that projection, Baird said.
There is no organized opposition to the fire levy, but one resident is questioning why Norwich Township hasn’t been more transparent in making its case for the levy.
Mike Mathy, whose family members have been in the fire service, said the township, when asking for a levy of this magnitude, should have commissioned a study or provided more detailed data that illustrates anticipated growth in the community that warrants the additional staffing the township says is needed.
“(Norwich Township) identified a location for a (fourth) fire station before producing any evidence that a new fire station is needed to maintain the township’s excellent response times. If Norwich Township is asking taxpayers (for a levy), it should have detailed information publicly available that shows how anticipated growth in our community will impact response rates,” Mathy said.
Information about the need for the levy has been communicated, Baird said, via the township’s website, norwichtownship.org, through several public meetings the township hosted, and in door-to-door visits fire department personnel made in February and March.
ELECTION Double Shot