In one week in early November, the St. Albans Fire Department crews responded to 17 calls: 12 emergency medical services (EMS) and five fire runs.
But soon, the department may not be able to respond to those calls as funding for the emergency responders — serving the township, neighboring Liberty Township and the village of Alexandria — runs out.
Those 17 calls, made between Nov. 4 and Nov. 12, will be “soon to be unanswered by this organization,” St. Albans Township Fire Chief Michael Theisen said at the St. Albans Township Trustee Meeting on Nov. 12, 2024.
A proposed fire levy for the department, which would have increased the current levy from $200 to $245 per $100,000 of property value, failed in the November election, with 56.78% of voters rejecting the increase.
The levy would have ensured the fire department can fund its increased operating costs, which would cover adequate staffing for the department, updated and safe equipment, training and resources, Theisen said.
It was the second time this year voters in St. Albans Township rejected a levy proposal for the fire department. In March, the fire department attempted to pass a fire levy that was rejected by 58.02% of voters.
Read more: St. Albans Township approves new fire levy proposal after March primary defeat
“I stand here with a heavy heart and deep sense of disappointment with the outcome of the fire levy resulting in approximately 50% reduction in essential funding,” Theisen said at the trustee meeting on Nov. 12.
Theisen said that the fire department went to great lengths to connect with the community. The department sent out pamphlets, engaged on social media, and went door to door to spread information about the levy.
Some residents explained that people may not have voted for the levy due to several other levies being on the ballot.
Across Licking County, there were nearly two dozen levies and taxes on the ballot, including two in St. Albans Township and one in Alexandria. All three were rejected by voters.
Read more: Licking County election results summary
St. Albans isn’t alone in this: Fire levies and emergency responder levies failed across the state.
Franklin Township, in neighboring Franklin County, will also have to make cuts to their fire department after their fire levy failed this November. Funds from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant — which helps departments around the state hire firefighters and emergency responders — support 10 positions at the department, and when those funds run out, they will lose those 10 positions.
Currently, the St. Albans Fire Department has both full time and part time employees. The fire department received a SAFER grant of $1.14 million in 2022. But the department remains understaffed, and between Nov. 4 and Nov. 12, Theisen has worked five 24-hour shifts.
“We are your neighbors, we are your friends committed to your worst day no matter the hour, weather or risk,” Theisen said.
Already this year, the township’s fire department has responded to hundreds of calls, including in response to major fires in the community.
In May, Theisen was one of the first on the scene at the two-alarm fire in Alexandria that left nearly a dozen residents and two businesses displaced. The building has a history of fires, and the blaze required quick response from fire departments across Licking County.
Read more: Two-alarm fire in Alexandria displaces residents, businesses
“We were fortunate enough to be fully staffed that day,” Theisen told The Reporting Project on May 31 — one day after the fire. “That’s what allowed the crews to be successful.”
Theisen said the run times in St. Albans Township are about eight minutes or less. But, if the fire department were to be understaffed or closed down, the township would have to rely on outside departments to answer calls and response time to emergency situations would increase.
Bruce Lane, St. Albans Township trustee, said that Theisen is the reason they were able to serve the community this week.
“We are stretching our dollar about as far as we can,” Lane said.
“I, and our department personnel, remain committed to serving and protecting our community, but we are on the clock,” Theisen added.
In a guest column published in the Newark Advocate in October, St. Albans Township Fire Department Lieutenant Jakob O’Brien said the department would lose the funding for ambulance services if the levy failed.
O’Brien wrote that department expenses have risen “approximately 30% from 2020,” and one option could be for the St. Albans department to merge with the West Licking Fire District — which would inevitably result in “significantly higher” taxes for township residents.
According to a post on the St. Albans Township Fire Department’s Facebook, it is unclear what the fire department will do in the future.
“We will do what we can as long as our funding allows to keep enough staff everyday to keep our fire truck and ambulance in service,” according to the Facebook post. “Due to necessary staffing cuts and the unpredictable nature of part time staffing, it is unavoidable that this will result in trucks being unavailable on some days.
Caroline Zollinger writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.