Fire levy on ballot in Harmony Twp.

When Big Walnut Fire Chief Ben Lovell talks about the 2.5-mill fire levy on the Nov. 5 ballot in Harmony Township, his primary concern is for 24/7 full coverage and improving response times in his district. He is hopeful the levy will pass to allow two firefighters/EMTs to be hired for duty in the fire district around the clock.

Lovell explained that Harmony Township pays for fire protection from the Big Walnut Joint Fire District (BWJFD). The fire district is now made up of Marengo, Chesterville, Bennington and Chester Township, who pay 4.5 millage in tax for fire services. Harmony has two 1-mill fire levies at this time for a total of 2 mills. The fire district is asking for Harmony to pay a similar amount to the other townships and villages for their coverage.

In August, Harmony had the highest fire/rescue call volume of all five municipalities in the fire district. Lovell began to raise the alarm in February 2023 after a fatal fire in Harmony. It took 19 minutes for firefighters from Cardington to arrive after the 911 call, and Lovell was the only firefighter available from BWJFD for the first 25 minutes.

Lovell said the main use of the money raised by the levy will be for two additional staff to be on duty 24/7 in the fire district. Currently, BWJFD has three firefighters on duty in Marengo from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., the district relies on members to volunteer to come in for emergency calls. Lovell said the problem isn’t the number of members they have on the roster, it’s the availability of those members after hours from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. If BWJFD firefighters aren’t available, they rely on other fire departments for aid who are 10-15 minutes farther away from most of the fire district. The goal is to lower the response times within the fire district to eight minutes, rather than the current 23 minutes between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.


https://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/2024/09/25/fire-levy-on-ballot-in-harmony-twp/