Mary Alice Reporting – Fire-related and medical calls were up in the Dennison Fire Department’s service area.

Responders cover the village, Midvale, the townships of Mill and Union, and for EMS, the coverage also includes the Village of Tuscarawas and Warwick Township.

Chief Dave McConnell says, in 2022, the total call number was 1,060, consisting of 37 fire incidents, 720 EMS, and 303 listed as other.

“With the partnership we have with Smith Ambulance, that’s a record high for us. Part of the time we run the ambulance, part of the time they do. The call volume it increases and keeps getting higher each year.”

Firefighters also completed 175 hours of training. McConnell adds that the past year also saw the department receive over $8,000 in grant funding.

“We used that for some lifting devices to help us lift patients and make our job a little less strenuous to get the patient out of the house or down the steps, or whatever the situation may be.”

Dennison remained active in the community by participating in parades, visiting schools or hosting groups at the fire station, and holding the yearly collection that made up over 125 food baskets at Christmas, something that is achieved through community support.

Into 2023, McConnell says the hope is to purchase four air packs and updating their personal equipment and extrication devices.

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