New Franklin fire leaders describe staffing, station needs and ambulance replacement; council OKs late Stryker invoices

A New Franklin Fire Department representative told the City Council on an evening agenda that the department is operating two stations, is staffed on a three-shift schedule and is planning future apparatus replacements and possible station relocation.

The department said Station 1 — near the city’s main station — has been staffed full time since 1969 and is meeting current needs. Station 2, identified in the presentation as Melody Village Station, was built in 1975 as a volunteer facility; living quarters were added in 2021 so it could be staffed full time. The department characterized Station 2’s current siting as “not in our ideal location,” saying it sits near the Wayne County line and that a site nearer Center Road/Cleveland/Massillon would serve the west side of the city more centrally.

The department reported…