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 current staffing on a three-shift model with each shift led by a lieutenant and five firefighters (six personnel per shift). Presenters said the department would like to add three additional full-time positions, which they said would bring the shifts to a seven-person complement and extend capacity into the foreseeable future. The representative declined to tie hiring timing to a specific budget line during the presentation.

On apparatus, officials said the department runs three ambulances; the oldest is a 2018 unit scheduled for replacement under a vehicle-rotation plan in 2028. The department provided a conservative cost estimate of about $230,000 to replace an ambulance (chassis and box), and noted additional costs of roughly $40,000 for a power-loading system. The presentation warned of long lead times for new ambulances — commonly 18–24 months from order to delivery. Engines purchased with past Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) funds remain in service; the oldest engine in the fleet dates to 1998 and is slated for replacement around 2030.

Council action on an unrelated but connected operational matter followed the report: the Finance Committee and then full council approved Resolution 25‑R‑14, a then-and-now purchase order to pay outstanding invoices from Stryker Sales Incorporated totaling $4,482.61. The council voted to waive readings and adopted the resolution in a roll-call vote recorded as passing 6–0.

The department also reported an internal billing issue: during the 2020–21 period Stryker invoiced the city for medical supplies and monitoring accessories but the department did not receive the mailed bills at the time. The department said its EMS coordinator, Nate Kennedy, reviewed ordering records and confirmed the items were received and that it has begun collecting packing slips to ensure future invoices are traceable.

Officials closed by asking councilors to consider longer-term station siting and staffing needs; they asked the council to accept their assessment and to allow staff to continue property searches and capital planning.

Questions and follow-up items at the meeting included requests for a future “state of the department” presentation showing annual accomplishments and explicit budget requests for personnel and equipment replacements.

Ending: City staff will carry the department’s relocation search and vehicle-replacement planning forward; the council appropriation action to pay the Stryker invoices was completed during the same meeting.