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North Royalton safety committee hears rise in emergency runs, Safety Town delayed
Summary
At its Oct. 21 meeting the North Royalton Safety Committee heard that emergency-run volume has risen and that construction delays are stalling the city’s Safety Town; the committee approved minutes and set a Nov. 1 Health Expo and Safety Fair.
The North Royalton Safety Committee met Oct. 21 at City Hall and voted to approve its Sept. 16 minutes before hearing updates from police and fire officials on higher emergency-run volumes and progress delays for a planned Safety Town.
Fire Chief Robert Chegan told the committee the department has seen higher call volume this year and expects that trend to continue. He said emergency medical calls make up about "75%" of runs and described a mix of general illness, cardiac events and strokes; he also reported a recent rise in falls and a carbon monoxide incident. Chegan said a new medic vehicle ordered in January 2024 is still delayed by manufacturer backlogs and is expected to arrive in June 2026. The department sold the older ambulance on GovDeals after placing the new unit into service, he said. Chegan said the department will present its Fire Department Master Plan in early 2026.
Chief Keith Tarase said he distributed September police statistics and noted deer-harvest incidents tied to the start of hunting season.
On the Safety Town project, Chegan said the city is still waiting on building materials and final cost estimates. He said meetings are scheduled with the project architect and with Lowe's this week, and with Home Depot next week, to secure materials; the city has a backup plan to have concrete striped and painted by a contractor if the schools cannot complete that scope. Chegan did not provide a final cost estimate at the meeting.
Chegan also announced community outreach plans: the North Royalton Health Expo and Safety Fair will take place Nov. 1 with Southwest Hospital, UH Parma, school events including a Turkey Trot and food drive, a complementary pancake breakfast supported by Council President Paul Marnecheck, health screenings and about 63 community vendors. Police and Fire will participate and there will be door prizes and raffle baskets.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about run counts and hospital capacity. In the meeting Chegan gave multiple run-number figures that are inconsistent in the transcript: he said the department "was about 17% over than what they were last year," and elsewhere that year-to-date runs were "3,570" with last year at this time "3,062," while an earlier statement in the same report said last year was "3,570" and this year was "just above 4,100." The committee record does not resolve that discrepancy; the committee requested the departmental statistics (which Chegan said he had distributed) and discussed the clinical mix of calls and local hospital occupancy trends.
There was no new business. The committee adjourned at 6:09 p.m.; the adjournment motion was moved by Chair Michael Wos and seconded by John Nickell, with Yeas: Nickell, Webber, Wos; Nays: none.
The committee's next procedural steps reported at the meeting include staff follow-ups on Safety Town material sourcing, a scheduled architect meeting, and a forthcoming Fire Department Master Plan early next year.
