HIRAM VILLAGE, Ohio — Squad cars blocked the bays at the Hiram Fire Department following the shutdown of the department's fire/EMS services effective Monday.
It comes as the latest response in what has been a week of online back-and-forth statements between Hiram's mayor, Anne Haynam, and the Hiram Firefighters Association's Facebook page.
As a result, Haynam said, in a statement, that the village of around 1,000 people would rely on "mutual aid" from neighboring entities for its fire and EMS needs.
"In the meantime, continue to call 911 for emergencies. Dispatch has been notified, and calls will go directly to our mutual aid partners starting March 2," the statement read.
On Sunday, the mayor announced that they will interview two candidates to fill the role of lieutenant, but numerous steps must be taken before fire and EMS operations can fully resume.
"Last night was the first that Chief Byers offered support and direction in terms of two lieutenants having qualifications to potentially run operations. We are still waiting for an updated roster," Haynam said in a statement on Sunday.
The candidates will be interviewed on March 2, but the village also has to name an interim chief and have EMS medical oversight reinstated.
In the press release, Haynam expressed concern about how the situation was handled and said they are working to find a solution.
How did we get here?
The Hiram Firefighters Association first issued a vote of no confidence in Mayor Anne Haynam on Feb. 23, citing payroll, staffing, maintenance and communication issues.
A post shortly thereafter included a resignation letter from Chief Bill Byers, relinquishing his role as chief (while still remaining as a firefighter with the department).
"This decision was not made lightly, I sincerely regret the short notice, however, over the past two years, the responsibilities of fire chief have been made inefficient, demeaning and have created both a hostile and toxic work environment," the letter detailed.
Last week, Haynam announced the entire leadership team at the fire department had abruptly resigned from their management titles with just a couple of days' notice.
In a statement, she called the situation "perplexing," arguing the fire department leadership failed to hire more firefighters after being approved by council.
On Friday, the Firefighters Association posted another email, claiming to be from the mayor, saying the village would shut down fire and EMS operations effective at the start of Monday. The association added that "response times will increase."
Transparency Disclosure: News 5 reached out to the mayor via email and visited the Hiram Village municipal building twice on Monday. Additionally, News 5 reached out and spoke with firefighters involved. No one was willing to speak *on camera* about the situation.
Neighboring Hiram Township is exploring legal options since the village handled its fire and EMS. The Hiram Township Trustee Chairman, Jack Groselle, told News 5 it's a terrible situation.
"Residents of Hiram Village should be recalling her," he said.
Hiram College freshman Elijah Gilman sits in on almost all Hiram Village Council meetings as part of his responsibility serving on the Hiram College Student Senate. He is hoping to see some sort of resolution quickly, before any of his classmates deal with any noticeable impact.
"We have a fair amount of students that are medically complicated, and I feel the fire department is necessary," Gilman said.
Gilman also raised concerns about the college campus itself.
"If there wasn't a college campus here, mutual aid would be fine. But there's a college campus with 700 students here, give or take, that's busy every single day with fast cars going through. There's been more than a few accidents, it's important to have," Gilman said.
A special village council meeting is set for March 5 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the matter. The meeting is open to the public and is located at 11617 Garfield Rd. in Hiram.
Additionally, the Community EMS District, one of the mutual aid partners described by the mayor, is set to hold a special meeting on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss how they plan to work with Hiram Village and Hiram Township moving forward.
The meeting will take place at the District Offices located at 10804 Forest St. in Garrettsville.
