The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mayor praises public servants
Fairport Harbor’s Police and Fire departments kept busy in 2018 not only responding to calls, but also with acquiring equipment and completing training needed to protect the community.
Accomplishments of both departments last year were highlighted by village Mayor Timothy Manross during his State of the Village address on Feb. 19.
The mayor spoke about topics ranging from key infrastructure projects finished last year to the renovation of the Memorial Park gazebo, which was spearheaded by a handful of village employees, residents and a local business.
Manross, early in his speech, offered statistics showing that 2018 was a busy year for the village Police and Fire departments.
Village police responded to more than 3,170 calls for service in 2018, Manross said. He noted that police in Fairport Harbor deal with some of the same crimes committed in larger cities.
“Fairport Harbor, for its small size and population, we have major crimes that happen here,” Manross said. “You may not hear about them all, but our Police Department handles them all.”
One of the new members who joined the village Police Department in 2018 was K-9 Sid. A German shepherd, Sid was certified with the state of Ohio in October and began duties on the village police force in November.
“We use him to assist with tracking, controlled substances, and building and article searches,” Manross said.
In addition to Sid, the village Police Department consists of full-time Chief J.P. Leonard, five full-time and four part-time officers, and an administrative assistant/ mayor’s court clerk.
Police Department training in 2018 dealt with field training at the weapons range and use of Tasers. Officer Eric Sharp also received K-9 handler training.
Equipment acquired by the department last year included updated Tasers and handguns, a new cruiser and new computers in patrol vehicles.
Fairport Harbor Fire Department, meanwhile, achieved a milestone in 2018 when it received 1,174 requests for service for the year — a new record.
“The majority of those runs were for emergency medical services,” Manross said.
In 2018, the department responded to 28 fires overall, the mayor stated. That figure includes 18 structure fires, which encompassed those in the village as well as mutual or automatic aid to neighboring communities.
Total number of responses to fire-type calls — not only fires, but also hazardous conditions such as gas leaks or wires down — was 437 in 2018.
The village Fire Department, headed by Chief Bob Lloyd, last year logged nearly 1,200 hours of training. Those sessions not only covered state minimum requirements for firefighters, EMS, instructors and inspectors, but also included monthly training provided by Lake Health and quarterly training from the Northern Ohio Trauma System.
Some of the operational upgrades at the Fire Department in 2018 were the purchase of new gas metering equipment; the acquisition of a new rescue board for the jet ski with a grant from the Painesville Community Improvement Corp.; and upgraded equipment for fire engines.
Another important change implemented by the department last year was to put a third firefighter on duty during peak demand times of 10 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily. Manross said more than 74 percent of the Fire Department’s runs occur during this time period.
“This was something that was debated at great length on council,” Manross said. “For years, we just ran with two men at one time. Having that third person for going in and getting someone out of the house or an EMS run, etc. … that’s helped out tremendously.”
The mayor also credited Village Council for its role in helping safety forces to provide high-quality service. to Fairport Harbor.