Home Care In Rossford, OH

ROSSFORD, Ohio (WTVG) - A lot of ideas, but, no solutions. That is the word coming out of Rossford after community members discussed ways to improve the city’s fire and emergency medical services at a forum Monday night.

One Rossford firefighter who spoke with 13 Action News said he is hoping the city council will choose the plan he and his fellow firefighters put forth Monday night. But, more than anything, he just wants a resolution to the issue.

“It’s stressful,” firefighter Chris Segura said. “We still are able to get the job done, but it’s a lot for people to do, especially the few people we have here.”

Between staffing shortages and a rising community need for fire and EMS, the Rossford Fire Department has to change.

“We saw this coming. We started to prepare for it,” Rossford Mayor Neil MacKinnon said. “We came up with three full-time models for council to choose from.”

Currently, there are four potential plans; contracting a neighboring community like Perrysburg Township to provide fire and EMS, forming a fire district with nearby communities, or creating a full-time Rossford Fire Department. And Monday night, Rossford firefighters proposed the fourth option. They want a combination of part-time and full-time first responders.

“Our plan now is to utilize the people we have, so they’re not out of a job. Like, that would happen with Perrysburg Township,” Segura said.

Rossford’s City Council President Caroline Zuchowski-Eckle said she is glad firefighters are weighing in on the matter.

“They work this job, so they know what needs to be done,” Zuchowski-Eckle said.

According to our media partner, The Blade, the first option would cost $1.6 million. The second, $2.5 million and an additional eight-mill levy. Option three would cost $2.7 million with a 9.5 mill levy. Lastly, option four would cost between $2.5-$2.8 million.

“We’re dealing with people’s lives. You know, the guys and gals in the department, this is their livelihood. So we want to make sure we keep that in mind and not just look at the numbers,” Zuchowski-Eckle said.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2024 WTVG. All rights reserved.

Crews from multiple departments responded to the scene of a fire at a Rossford apartment complex Friday afternoon on Rossway Avenue. No injuries were reported.

ROSSFORD, Ohio — Multiple fire and rescue departments responded to the scene of a fire at a Rossford apartment complex Friday afternoon.

The call came in around 1 p.m. Friday. The fire appeared to have heavily damaged units at one of the three-story River Ridge Apartments buildings.

Smoke was seen from a window in a basement apartment during routine rounds by a maintenance worker at the complex which led to the call, according to Rossford Fire Chief Josh Drouard. It is unclear how the fire may have started.

Crews rescued two people from the building, according to responding fire departments. Both people were evaluated and released at the scene.

No other injuries have been reported, Drouard said.

Crews with fire and rescue departments from Rossford, Northwood, Lake Township, Perrysburg Township and Perrysburg responded to the call, along with multiple ladder trucks and engines.

Credit: Ryan Luchene/WTOL 11

Credit: Ryan Luchene/WTOL 11

RELATED: As Rossford fire department faces staffing shortages, mayor pushes to merge with Perrysburg Twp.

RELATED: Lake Twp., Northwood, Rossford fire departments hope to merge into one

LOCAL HEADLINES: How gas prices are impacting emergency crews

LOCAL HEADLINES: Community helps UToledo baseball player's family rebuild after house fire

Related Articles

MORE FROM WTOL 11 NEWS:

Want more from WTOL 11?

?? Download the WTOL 11 weather app for the latest local 10-day forecast and live radar!

?? Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.

?? Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!

WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.

The Ohio State University Marching Band performed for a sold-out crowd at Rossford High School before heading to Ann Arbor for the big rivalry game against Michigan.

ROSSFORD, Ohio — Before the Ohio State Buckeyes face off against the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State's marching band performed for a packed house at Rossford High School for The Best Damn Band In The Land's fundraising concert.

Friday's event marked the 44th year of the quadrennial concert, where attendees of all ages show off their Buckeye pride and give back to the community.

There were more than 2,000 people at the event excited to hear the band play. But attendees could enjoy more than just hearing one of the best marching bands in college sports, there were also raffles, a photo booth with OSU superfan "Big Nut" and an author selling a book about all the fun behind the scenes things that happen at OSU's football stadium. Most of the funds from these events go into the Wood County alumni's scholarship fund for students headed to Ohio State University.

Author of "Buckeye Tailgate," Trevor Zahara, said since he's an usher it only made sense to write a book about all the fun facts and events that happen at OSU's stadium.

"Initially I didn't have money to attend Ohio State so I got a scholarship. So now it's my way of paying it forward," Zahara said.

His sales from Friday's event will go into the Ohio State Foundation, Zahara said.

The overall theme is about giving back, former Wood County alumni President Mark Bennion. He said doors for the event were supposed to open at 6 p.m. but the crowd at the door was so large and it was such a cold night, they opened early at 5:30 p.m. instead.

"We've had to turn people away." Bennion said," The event is sold out. It's been sold out every year that I can remember, going back into the 1990s."

Children who haven't even entered grade school are already smitten with the band. Just ask the Codners' little boy, Colby Codner. The Codner family brought Colby to the event as a surprise because he is such a big OSU Band fan.

"He loves the marching band. We took him to actually to his first football game like a year ago," Sarah Codner said. "It's all about the band."

The youthful passion, it seems, does not fade with age.

Hannah Eggenschwiler, an OSU junior studying astronomy and astrophysics, is in her first year with the marching band's student staff in the uniform office.

"I love it. My parents are actually here so I'm really excited this is the first time they've seen me in person in full uniform," Eggenschwiler said.

She said that given the high costs of tickets, family members can't always make it to every game so the performance was a real treat.

Whether it's fandom, family pride or passionate alumni paying it forward, Heather Hettrick said she's proud to have worked this event three times, and it always gets bigger and better. As the Marketing Communications Chair for the OSU Marching Band Concert, she said the goal is to build Buckeye pride in young kids while also helping support incoming Ohio State freshmen.

"Our alumni club has held this for more than 44 years and raised more than $300,000 dollars, in turn, has funded more than 150 scholarships for young people in Wood County that are going to Ohio State," Hettrick said.

While the Buckeyes haven't hit the field just yet, the goals of fun and paying it forward were accomplished in Rossford on Friday.

Forest View Lanes CEO Rich Kenny will decide in the next few months whether to move forward or give up on the bowling alley investment.

ROSSFORD, Ohio — One local business owner is at a crossroads when it comes to renovating the former Rossford Lanes bowling alley. Forest View Lanes Chief Entertainment Officer Rich Kenny originally bought the closed alley in January 2021 with a plan to open it in the summer of that year. As of February 2023, the alley is still under renovation.

"I thought we would be open that summer, and it never happened," Kenny said. "As we kept running into more problems, it's been very frustrating."

Since that time, Kenny has dealt with seemingly unending repairs, including replacing equipment and the roof and removing asbestos.

He plans to decide in the next few months whether to take out another loan and continue work on the alley with a hopeful opening before the end of the calendar year or look at other options.

"There's a lot of options we can go," Kenny said. "We're not saying we're not going to do it, we're not saying we're going to do it."

He recently got approved for a $3 million loan, but is undecided about whether to move forward with a high-interest rate or explore other lanes, such as handing off the project to an equity partner, "someone who can come in and be a part of the project," Kenny said.

Locals hope that whatever happens, the alley can be a place that helps boost the local economy.

"Our town is really excited about getting a bowling alley back," longtime Rossford resident Connie Brentlinger said. "It's been here for a while,"

Rossford City Council member Bob Toth agreed

"I'm excited for it to open," Toth said. "It will be a welcome addition to the downtown area that we're trying to revitalize."

Kenny said he'll make his decision in the next three to four months. If he decides to move forward, customers won't see the alley open until just before the end of the year.

"We've got to be able to get open in four to six months [following the decision]," Kenny said. "We can't spend [the loan] and sit closed for a year."

In addition to still having open job positions, leaders at the fulfillment center donated $25,000 to Rossford Schools!

ROSSFORD, Ohio — Amazon's new fulfillment center in Rossford is officially open for business!

New associates were welcomed inside the 640,000 square-foot building for the first time this month to celebrate the center's first day of operation.

“It's been very exciting! This project is less than two years old, it was built in just about a year and they're up and running! They've got a thousand new people working,” said Rossford Mayor Neil MacKinnon.

Credit: Amazon

To also celebrate the opening, leaders at the fulfillment center surprised Rossford Schools with a $25,000 donation, which will support the school's STEM education programs for grades K-12 through activities specializing in digital learning, coding and robotics.

"We are thrilled to receive Amazon’s generous donation that will be used to support our STEM programming for students,” said Rossford Schools’ STEM Teacher Maria Pratt. “One of the core skills we focus on in STEM is basic block coding and robotics. Our students are growing up in a digital era, and basic programming skills is an essential literacy for this next generation."

Employees at the site will do everything from receiving inventory, picking and shipping customer orders and supporting network logistics by working alongside Amazon Robotics.

“For all the customers wondering if they're going to get their packages faster now, you're in great luck! Now with their new Amazon fulfillment center we're going to continue to fill those orders in 2 days or less,” said Andre Woodson, an Amazon spokesperson.

And Amazon said there are still jobs available!

“Amazon is a great place to work with highly competitive pay, benefits from day-one, and training programs for in-demand jobs,” said Amazon Rossford site leader Daniel Fox. “It's an exciting day as we officially open our doors at our new fulfillment center in Wood County.”

On top of Amazon’s $15 minimum wage, the company offers all full-time employees comprehensive benefits including full medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as 401(k) with a 50 percent match starting on day one.

The company also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave and innovative benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents flexibility with their growing families.

In addition, Amazon has pledged to invest over $700 million to provide upskilling training for 100,000 U.S. employees for in demand jobs. Programs will help Amazonians from all backgrounds access training to move into highly skilled roles across the company’s corporate offices, tech hubs, fulfillment centers, retails stores, and transportation network or pursue career paths outside of Amazon

Interested candidates can visit Amazon's website to apply or sign up for text alerts by texting TOLNOW to 77088 to learn more about job openings.

Amazon leaders say they have also invested more than $4 billion from June to April on COVID-19 related safety measures, including temperature checks, masks, enhanced cleaning, gloves and sanitation stations.