RAVENNA, Ohio — When you call 911 in Ravenna, there's a good chance the fire department is going to end up utilizing an ambulance more than the fire truck.
The city's fire department is seeing a dramatic increase in emergency medical service calls, prompting officials to consider adding three more firefighter/paramedics to meet growing demand.
The Ravenna Fire Department handled about 3,500 calls last year, with three out of every four being EMS-related.
"We're no longer at the point where we staff for fire services. We staff for EMS services," said Chief Mark Chapple during a City Council Meeting on Jan. 20. "We lack the availability to staff a third ambulance which our municipality dictates from us. We can’t keep up with it."
The chief told News 5 the increase in calls stems partly from Ravenna's aging population demographics, as well as a decrease in the use of private ambulance transport.
"The Ravenna median age is not in the 30s anymore, we're an older community," Chapple said.
Matt Bowery, a firefighter and union leader with IAFF Local 1340, has witnessed the dramatic change firsthand.
"We've had a drastic increase in call volume in just the last five years," Bowery said. "Historically, we always staffed for fire protection. Fire protection is our primary goal as a fire department and EMS is something we always did with our downtime. But with the drastic increase in call volume, as we're running more medical calls, we're slowly becoming a medical department that's is able to occasionally respond to a fire."
He attributes part of the surge to changes in healthcare that have reduced private ambulance transport services compared to previous years. As a result, Bowery told News 5 there are instances where two ambulances are out on calls, leaving no one at the station.
"As the citizens need more from us, we need to provide more for them," Bowery said.
This is not the first time the city has approved or seriously considered adding firefighters over the past several decades. It's the second time. Back in 2024, the city approved adding three firefighters to help increase the number of firefighters working at a given time.
For residents like Christina Cameron, response times are critical. She and her husband have needed to call the fire department multiple times in the past year due to his health conditions.
"My husband has COPD and congestive heart failure," Cameron said. "If he has a heart issue, we need them there as soon as possible. They are a godsend and a blessing for this community and we need to support our emergency staff more."
Mayor Frank Seman acknowledges the financial investment required to help maintain the department's quality.
"You have to spend money to get good people," Seman said. "We are competing with our neighbors for people to serve."
City Council is expected to vote on the additional staffing on Feb. 2. Beyond personnel, the city is also considering replacing its safety center and is expected put that initiative on the ballot in May.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
