Three years ago, when people called 911 in Tiltonsville, they didn鈥檛 know if anyone would show up.
This story is part five of our five-part series ." This long-term investigation reveals the crisis facing volunteer fire departments in Ohio and digs into potential solutions.
The origins of the small village, located in Eastern Ohio across the Ohio River from West Virginia, date back to the late 1700s, but the Tiltonsville Fire Department has only been around for a little more than a century. It wasn鈥檛 established until 1917, after three people died in a house fire.
The first home for the fire department was a one-story building. The fire engine was a Ford Model T. A bell on top of the firehouse served as the alarm system. Eight men staffed the department. They each paid 10 cents a month in dues to buy equipment.
Over the course of the 20th century, the size of the volunteer department grew. From eight firefighters to 22. From 22 to 60. Pictures of past rosters line the hallway of the current fire department. Volunteers proudly grin at the camera in their matching uniforms. They used to debate who would stand in the back row. But around the 1990s, the numbers started to dwindle. Fewer and fewer people fill the frame.
During a visit to Tiltonsville in the fall, the station was as quiet as the town. Instead of a firehouse dog, a beta fish swam around a small tank.
鈥淚t鈥檚 changed over the years,鈥� Chief Michael Lollini said, gazing at the wall of photos. 鈥淢anpower back in the day was 50-some people, but as time went on, the number of volunteers just kept getting smaller and smaller.鈥�
Lollini got involved in the department when he was just a kid, joining the cadet program when he was 12. He got his firefighter certification and became a volunteer firefighter with the department in 2002. In 2021, he became chief.
And in 2023, he took on one more responsibility: campaign manager. He attended town halls, knocked on doors and talked to influential people. He wasn鈥檛 running for office or campaigning for another politician.
He was trying to save his community.
A funding lifeline
Staffing isn鈥檛 a problem unique to Tiltonsville. The number of active volunteer certifications statewide has decreased nearly 15% since January 2020, according to data from the Ohio Department of Public Safety. In Tiltonsville, people started noticing, Lollini said.
Sometimes, people waited almost an hour for an ambulance to arrive, Lollini said.
鈥淵ou call 911, you expect someone to show up, and when they don鈥檛, now you鈥檙e asking yourself, 鈥榃hat are you doing?鈥� We weren鈥檛 fulfilling our obligation,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd there was actually people that died waiting for an ambulance to show up, and the family would come to you and ask, 鈥榃hat are you guys doing to fix it?鈥� And it鈥檚 a legit question, and that鈥檚 why we did what we did.鈥�
Lollini and others began pitching to their community the creation of a joint fire district with two other municipalities funded by a new property tax levy.
They had tried to put a levy on the ballot before, he said, but it never gained traction. This time, with the neighboring communities of Rayland and Warren Township, they hit the pavement hard, canvassing and attending town halls, meetings and public gatherings.
鈥淚 think sticking our neck out is an understatement but made it clear that this was going to be the norm moving forward,鈥� Lollini said. 鈥淚f we didn鈥檛 get something, this was going to be the norm, and eventually it was gonna be to the point where I couldn鈥檛 guarantee if we would be here five years from now, just 鈥榗ause our finances were not the greatest.鈥�
On election night, Lollini stayed at the fire station for hours, nervously watching the results come in. They looked good, but he didn鈥檛 want to get his hopes up. When he awoke early the next day, he saw the levy passed by 220 votes.
鈥淩elieved is probably an understatement,鈥� Lollini said. 鈥淚 told people if I could have done a cartwheel, I would鈥檝e.鈥�
Tiltonsville officially started staffing part-time firefighters on June 1, 2024. The department now has a roster of 22 paid part-time firefighters and 15 volunteers.
鈥淧aid staffing does benefit people. Having people here makes a world of a difference versus wondering if anyone is going to show up or not,鈥� Lollini said. 鈥淔orty-five minutes is a long time waiting for somebody. But now, we鈥檙e getting that under 10, and we鈥檙e showing up. And it鈥檚 a huge sigh of relief for everybody.鈥�
Are joint fire districts the future?
A joint fire district seems like an obvious solution to counter the pressures of shrinking volunteer rosters and rising costs. West of Dayton in Preble County, the provides services to Gratis, Gratis Township and West Elkton. In Northeast Ohio, the combined efforts with the to provide better service to their communities. Joint fire districts are popping up across the state.
鈥淲e think there鈥檚 about 100 of them throughout the state, and I say we think because due to what they name themselves, we can鈥檛 really tell,鈥� State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon said. 鈥淎 lot of them have named themselves the 鈥楧anville Joint Fire Department鈥� or something like that, so it sticks out pretty easily. But what we鈥檝e found is there鈥檚 more out there that have that joint fire district model. That鈥檚 just not what they call themselves.鈥�
The motivations for a joint fire district vary, he said. In some cases, departments have problems finding enough volunteers during the daytime. For other departments, it鈥檚 finding enough coverage at night.
鈥淯nder the joint fire district model, they鈥檝e been able to staff it with two or three people,鈥� Reardon said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a huge start. That鈥檚 a huge start, so they鈥檝e been successful.鈥�
In Portage County, five townships are currently considering joining forces. Five chiefs. Five fire stations. Five aging fire tankers that are only used a few times a year. Five departments fighting for staffing in a relatively small hiring pool. It鈥檚 too much for the rural corner of Northeast Ohio.
The townships had considered a joint fire district twice before, but each time, the idea didn鈥檛 get any traction. One of the five departments is in Paris Township, where Derek Reed has served as fire chief since 2013.
Paris Township made the move to add some part-time staffing to its all-volunteer force a few years ago, Reed said.
鈥淲e had literally no volunteer staff during the day,鈥� he said.
The department relied on a private ambulance service to respond to the majority of its calls during the day, Reed said, but even that wasn鈥檛 dependable because it prioritized taking calls that would pay more. Sometimes it took 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive on scene. The department was losing money.
鈥淲e use ambulance transports, ambulance calls, as part of our funding for the fire department,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淪o, by not responding to those daytime calls, we were not able to basically bill or collect money to support the ambulance side of things. So we were kind of hurting ourselves there.鈥�
They put a levy on the ballot, primarily to begin paying for part-time staffing but also to support department operations. The levy passed. The department had the funds to staff two firefighters at the station every day from , paying volunteers per call to fill in the rest of the hours. But the funding was just enough to get them started, not enough to pay a competitive wage to sustain staffing.
鈥淲e鈥檙e staffing maybe two or three days in a pay period,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o probably I鈥檇 say four to five days a month right now. So it鈥檚 pretty rough.鈥�
They make do, knowing they may eventually have to go back to the taxpayers to pass another levy to keep the pay competitive, Reed said.
Asking for more money is going to be the main hurdle in getting a joint fire district off the ground, he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 going to be a very big expense, even though it鈥檚 going to be kind of distributed amongst the other townships,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e looking at hiring full-time staff with the pensions and the retirement plans and health insurance and just everyday operational costs, it鈥檚 going to be a lot of money.鈥�
Then there鈥檚 the problem of identity.
鈥淧eople do not want to lose Paris Township written on their firetruck,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to lose that, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 my firetruck, and I paid for that firetruck. And that鈥檚 my community.鈥欌��
But if they can get the community on board, the benefits would be numerous, including reduced response times, shared resources and less of a burden on a single department鈥檚 budget.
A joint fire district is still years away for the townships in Portage County. They need data and cost estimates before voters in all five townships can weigh in on the plan, but it鈥檚 worth the effort, State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon said.
鈥淚t gives your citizens a break,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going back to them as often for fire levies. You鈥檙e not going back for special ballot issues.鈥�
The debate over property taxes
have been the hot topic at the Ohio Statehouse amid skyrocketing home values in recent years. State lawmakers have introduced and passed numerous bills to lessen the burden on homeowners, but a citizen-led ballot initiative gathering signatures aims to eliminate all property taxes, which would devastate funding for many volunteer fire departments and joint fire districts.
鈥淚鈥檓 afraid that鈥檚 what people are not looking at,鈥� Tiltonsville Fire Chief Michael Lollini said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e looking at, 鈥極oh ,I don鈥檛 have to pay this property tax anymore 鈥� but they鈥檙e not looking at the aftermath of it.鈥�
State Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township) is both an of property tax relief in the Ohio House and a volunteer firefighter. He followed his dad into the service at the Madison Township Fire Department in Southwest Ohio, where he still picks up shifts while balancing his responsibilities in Columbus.
鈥淚f this gets abolished next year at the ballot box, I will be the first one at the table fighting for first responders to get paid,鈥� he said.
Hall said he gets calls every day from constituents who support abolishing all property taxes. He hopes these conversations will ease up when people see their property taxes later this year.
鈥淚 think people are starting to realize there鈥檚 a lot of unintended consequences to not having your own fire protection, because they pay taxes now and levies now on our fire departments,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd if those go away, they may save money in the short term, but the moment they have that emergency or that situation, it鈥檚 going to be a moment of regret.鈥�
Even if the charter amendment fails, firefighters are worried the disdain for property taxes will begin to outweigh the usual support for local fire department levies.
鈥淭he fire service has never heard that before. Fire levies traditionally are no-brainers. You don鈥檛 even have to campaign, they just pass," Reardon said. 鈥淏ut now we鈥檝e got that problem of people simply can鈥檛 afford it. They鈥檙e not saying no to safety. They鈥檙e saying no to their own budget. They can鈥檛 do it, and that鈥檚 difficult.鈥�
What did the task force recommend?
Researching the benefits of joint fire districts was just one of more than 30 recommendations the made when it issued its report in January 2023.
The Fire Marshal鈥檚 Office has acted on several of the recommendations under its jurisdiction: establishing a full-time recruitment/retention coordinator, coordinating public service announcements about the need for volunteer firefighters and waiving all fees at the for volunteer firefighters.
But about a dozen of the recommendations made in the report can only be addressed by the state legislature and have not yet been passed, specifically the recommendations to create a consistent funding source for volunteer departments and to establish a benefits program.
鈥淚 think it is a service that a lot of people take for granted,鈥� Hall said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 a service that a lot of people in the legislature take for granted.鈥�
He鈥檚 introduced bills to establish a tax credit for volunteer firefighters and ensure fire hydrants are tested regularly, but they鈥檝e either failed to gain support or received pushback.
鈥淚 do think the legislature wants to be a part in this and wants to help out,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut I just think it hasn鈥檛 been a priority.鈥�
Since the task force report was published, state lawmakers have expanded grant funding for equipment and training. They have also expanded a loan program for vehicle purchases or building additions, but volunteer departments are still left with a patchwork funding system of levies, grants, loans and money they raise themselves.
Many of the recommendations focus on recruitment, ways to encourage people to join a volunteer department or convince them to stay. The report suggests public service leave, tax incentives for businesses that give volunteer firefighters paid leave, an awards program that functions like a pension, tuition vouchers and local property tax abatements. Thus far, the legislature has only passed a $1,000 income tax credit for volunteer firefighters.
State Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) introduced a comprehensive bill last spring to revise volunteer firefighter law. includes many of the recommendations from the task force report.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be difficult for the legislature, like in most instances, because it involves money,鈥� Reardon said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e gotta look at things where we鈥檙e gonna get a big bang for the buck, so he鈥檚 [Schaffer鈥檚] got a good start.鈥�
Schaffer declined to be interviewed for this series.
The task force also recommended updating the volunteer firefighter certificate to meet standards laid out in the National Fire Protection Association 1010, a consolidated set of standards for firefighters. In the wake of the 2023 East Palestine train derailment, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended it, too, due to the absence of hazmat training.
The Ohio Division of EMS, under the Ohio Department of Public Safety, is taking action. Effective June 30, 2030, the 36-hour volunteer firefighter certification course will no longer be offered. No new volunteer firefighter certificates will be issued after that date. Volunteer departments will still exist in Ohio, but all new firefighters that staff them will be required to get additional training.
Firefighters with only the volunteer certification will be able to keep their volunteer certification or transition to other levels of fire service, like new certifications for fire apparatus driver/operator-pumper or fire department exterior support person. With more training, they could also transition to Firefighter I or II, the certification needed to be a firefighter at a paid department.
鈥淎t some point downstream, we know that Firefighter I has to be the standard so that no matter what firefighter in this state responds to a call, he or she will be trained to the full professional standard of Firefighter I that permits them to go in and do interior attack, do all of the exterior functions, as well as understand all of the threats based on hazardous materials awareness training included in their education,鈥� Division of EMS Executive Director Robert Wagoner said.
Creating the two new certifications were also recommendations from the task force report. These certifications should be easy for volunteer firefighters to transition to, Wagoner said.
鈥淲e believe that a large percentage of those out there who currently have a volunteer firefighter certification have probably completed the equivalent education to quickly transition to those two new levels,鈥� he said.
Some people only want to drive a firetruck, not burst through doors of burning buildings, particularly retired firefighters, Reardon said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 an entire group of people that are kind of left out there that have serious skills and experience that could be put to use in their community if they wanna do it,鈥� he said.
The exterior support person certificate will allow people to support a volunteer department without having to drive the truck or enter a burning building.
The future of volunteer fire departments
Who鈥檚 in charge of making the volunteer firefighter system better? What happens when a volunteer department runs out of funding and manpower and has to close its doors?
It鈥檚 ultimately up to individual communities to make those decisions, Reardon said.
鈥淭he state of Ohio has never gotten into how we operate and fund volunteer departments because of home rule, number one,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are all jurisdictions. They鈥檙e owned by the local community, the local people.鈥�
He recommends volunteer fire departments struggling to make ends meet have honest conversations with their communities.
鈥淪it down with your community and ask them to list, give you a list of their expectations for the fire department,鈥� Reardon said. 鈥淪tart scratching off on that list of expectations what you can鈥檛 deliver and why. Just go down through the list. We can鈥檛 deliver paramedic service. We can鈥檛 do that. You want it. We can鈥檛 do it, and here鈥檚 why. And that鈥檚 really helped that dialogue between the community and the fire chiefs.鈥�
That worked in rural communities in Ohio like Tiltonsville and Paris Township, but what if the financial support just isn鈥檛 there?
鈥淭hose people just won鈥檛 have service. They won鈥檛 have service,鈥� Reardon said. 鈥淲hen they call for EMS, nobody's gonna come. They鈥檙e going to have to rely on their own transportation, family member, friend, neighbor, whatever, and if there鈥檚 a fire, it鈥檚 just gonna burn.鈥�
contributed reporting for this story.
