Russell Township Fire Department

Fire Chief
Chief John Frazier

14810 Chillicothe Road
PO Box 522
Novelty, Ohio 44072

Emergency
Phone Number:
440-338-1212

Life Threatening
Emergencies:
9-1-1

When calling 9-1-1, in addition to explaining your emergency, give your telephone number and address and stay on the line if possible.

IMPORTANT:
Call 9-1-1 before you call your doctor, relatives or friends. If the house is on fire, GET OUT!

Russell Township, Ohio Fire Department

Fire Department Mission

It is the mission of Russell Fire-Rescue to provide the best and most comprehensive system of fire protection and medical care to the citizens of Russell Township.

General Information

The Russell Fire-Rescue Department provides service 24 hours a day. The fire station is manned by four paramedic/firefighters week days from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Non-Emergency Telephone: (440) 338-6161

Fax: (440) 338-7794

Station Front Door Direct 9-1-1 Telephone: Connects you directly to the Dispatch Radio Center at the Geauga County Sheriff’s Department.

e-mail contacts:
Chief John Frazier Asst. Chief John Bryan		Capt. Ken Russell Lt. Phil Corpora		Lt. Jim Bell Lt. Mike Carroll

What Does the Fire-Rescue Department Do for You?

For 50 years, the men and women of the Russell Fire-Rescue Department have turned out to help their neighbors in times of trouble. Our firefighters, paramedics and rescue specialists are trained and equipped to deal with a variety of situations affecting individuals and communities.

Emergency Response

Russell’s fire and rescue personnel are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to situations including:

House and barn fires
Heart attacks and strokes
Hazardous materials
Automobile accidents
Collapsed buildings
Falls and injuries
Water, ice and dangerous terrain accidents
Community health and public safety emergencies

Round-the-Clock Ambulance and Paramedic Services

The Fire-Rescue department provides Russell residents with 24-hour emergency ambulance service, with guaranteed paramedic services provided on all ambulances. The department includes 19 paramedic-firefighters certified in advanced cardiac life support, with specialties in pediatric advanced life support, basic trauma life support and pediatric emergency pre-hospital provider. Many of our paramedics are instructors in advanced cardiac life support and CPR. In addition, 16 members of the department are certified as emergency medical technicians, qualifying them to provide basic medical services and to support the paramedics. Russell ambulance teams provide the most advanced ambulance care in Geauga County, including 12-lead EKG evaluation/diagnosis capability, heart attack treatment, and transport.

Training to Serve

The 48 members of the Russell Fire-Rescue Department include one full-time employee. The rest are volunteers, when functioning as firefighters, and on a part-time basis for some medical services. All firefighters must receive 120 hours of training to become certified under Ohio law. Additional medical training is optional; to become certified as an emergency medical technician requires an additional 120 hours of training, while paramedics must receive 960 hours of training. Many of our members have gone on to receive specialized training and to volunteer as members of county teams, including the Geauga County Dive-Rescue Team, the Geauga County Fire Investigation Unit and the Lake-Geauga Critical Incident Stress Management Team.

Firefighters must be 18 or older. For teens who wish to begin their training earlier, Russell has a cadet program for boys and girls 15 to 17 (with parent’s permission) or as young as 14 if a parent is serving with the department. There are currently eight young people in our cadet program. During emergency response, cadets provide valuable support for fire-rescue personnel in the field.

This Could Be Your Year

Have you ever thought about serving your community as a fire-rescue volunteer? No experience is necessary. If you’ll provide the time, we’ll provide the training. Stop by any weekday or on Tuesday nights at 7, and members of the department will provide more information on volunteer opportunities. Think about this: if your neighbor’s house was burning down, wouldn’t you want to be able to do more than watch?

What You Should Do When the Lights Go Out

If your lights go out, first check to see if your neighbors’ power is out or if only your home is affected. Then, check for problems with the fuses or breakers in your home. To check your circuit breakers or fuses, go to your home’s electric service panel. This is a gray metal box located on the wall of your basement or garage, or somewhere inside near your electric meter. For safety’s sake, first make sure your hands and the floor you are standing on are dry. Open the door on the face of the service panel and see if a circuit breaker is tripped or a fuse is blown. If so, reset the breaker or replace the fuse. To reset a tripped breaker, move the switch all the way to the “OFF” position, then all the way back to the “ON” position. To replace a blown fuse, turn the fuse counterclockwise until it screws all the way out, like a light bulb. Replace it with a new fuse that has the same ampere rating (such as 10A, 15A, etc.) as the old fuse. DO NOT use a new fuse with a higher rating – this could damage your home’s wiring or even cause a fire.

Once you’ve determined that the problem is not inside your home, contact The Illuminating Company to report an outage. The best way to do this is to call the automated reporting line at 1-888-544-4877 (1-888-LIGHTSS). When you call, simply follow the prompts. That will alert The Illuminating Company’s trouble crews to a problem in your neighborhood. While some people don’t like using an automated phone line, it is the quickest way to ensure that The Illuminating Company knows your power is out. And, in a major storm, it is the only way that thousands of reports can be taken at once. Also, don’t assume that your neighbors have called. Your call may help The Illuminating Company to identify the problem. Click Here to Continue...

Donate Blood

The Red Cross needs to maintain an adequate blood reserve at all times. At regular intervals throughout the year give blood and give life. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE fro bloodmobile locations and information.

Be Vigilant at Home

Natural disasters such as summer and winter storms, flooding and power outages identify the need for the community to be prepared and self-sufficient. Avoid using candles, oil lamps or lanterns during power outages to prevent fire hazards. Keep flashlights and fresh batteries in a handy location. Keep bottled water on hand for drinking. Those who own a generator should test it regularly (weekly) and maintain a full and fresh fuel supply. Avoid tying up telephone lines and cell phones during emergencies. Instead tune to a local television or radio station for current information. (A battery radio or TV if the power is out) Lastly, if anyone in the home is using home oxygen, someone should let Russell Fire-Rescue personnel know beforehand so that they are aware and can assist residents in changing over to bottled oxygen in the event of a power failure.

Support your Emergency Services

Russell Police, Fire-Rescue and Road Departments provide critical and continuous service to the community in disaster situations. The management of these events is in trained, skilled and capable hands.

Click Here for previous Fire Chief's Bulletins