Since the North Ridgeville Fire Department’s establishment in 1931, the department has grown tremendously as the City has grown, and it has celebrated many milestones along the way.
On February 16, 1931 a special meeting of the Ridgeville Township Trustees was held for the purpose of approving bonds to purchase fire equipment and to appoint men to form a volunteer fire company. It was decided a volunteer fire company would be set up by breaking the township into sections. On February 26, 1931 another special meeting was held for the purpose of organizing a volunteer firemen's company and to advertise for bid for housing, maintaining and operating fire apparatus. The Trustees approved the volunteer fireman's company as organized with Louis Hadaway as Fire Chief and Clarence Oster as Secretary. The events resulted in the establishment of the Ridgeville Township Fire Department.
On August 8, 1931 the fire department took delivery of their first fire truck. The apparatus was purchased from Buffalo Fire Apparatus Corporation for a cost of $5,875.00. The 1931 Buffalo fire truck is still owned by the City and is currently housed in our fire museum.
In 1957 a new fire station was built to house the volunteer fire department. The station was constructed near the intersection of SR 83 and US 20. On August 16, 1967 the fire department went full time and has served the North Ridgeville community 24/7 ever since.
On January 1, 1970 the fire department begins to provide basic life support ambulance service to the residents using a used Cadillac hearse referred to as the "Black Mariah." In 1971 the fire department took delivery of a brand new 1971 Chevrolet Vanguard ambulance at a cost of $11,500.00.
In November 1974, Fire Station 2 located near the intersection of Lorain and Root Roads was completed. This fire station was built to better serve the residents on the south side of the city.
In February 1979 three additional fire fighters were hired which allowed both fire stations to be staffed 24/7. Prior to this time, Fire Station 2 was only open when there was enough staff on duty.
In April 1995 after several attempts to pass a tax levy to fund a paramedic service, the department was able to hire seven state certified paramedics and provide advanced life support to the residents. This improvement brought the fire department up to modern day standards. Paramedics are able to "bring the emergency room to you." Through use of heart monitors, defibrillators, cardiac pacing equipment, cardiac medications, advanced airways and I.V. therapy, there was a vast improvement in the outcomes of our patients. UH St. John Medical Center has helped us to upgrade our heart monitors to 12-lead ECG capability. This provides for an improved outcome for chest pain patients.
In December 2007 the fire department transferred its dispatching duties by joining the West Shore Dispatch Center. Westcom is a regional dispatch center that manages communications for the fire departments in Westlake, Fairview Park, Rocky River, Bay Village and North Ridgeville. We also added three additional fire fighters which allowed us to increase the number of emergency units in service on a day-to-day basis.
Today, the department remembers its history and remains committed to protecting the lives and property of its community and providing great customer service to all who calls for assistance. The North Ridgeville Fire Department continues to deliver proactive, all-hazards, public safety services to our residents, businesses, and visitors from two fire stations that are located strategically throughout its jurisdiction. Thank you to the North Ridgeville community for your ongoing support!