Trustees approve $6,000 medical direction PO as fire runs surge

Trustees voted May 11 to approve a purchase order from fund code 2281 for $6,000 to Rodrik M. Huff, MD, to provide medical direction for the township fire department for Jan. 1–June 30, 2026.

At the same meeting Assistant Chief Griffith reported the department is up 53 calls year-to-date, a roughly 28% increase from the same time last year, and said the department is "on a pace that in my 18 years I've never seen. We're going to have over 700 runs if it continues on," creating pressure on turnout times and hospital transport logistics. He noted a 35-minute nearest-hospital transport time contributes to a 51-minute turnaround in some calls.

The trustees also approved a separate PO/resolution for $6,000 from fund 2021 to North Coast Products for equipment used in township road operations (duracatcher), and accepted a donation/finalization for a 3-inch trash pump that will increase the department’s available pumps to three. The transaction for the medical direction PO and the equipment approvals were moved and approved by voice vote.

What this means: trustees authorized short-term medical oversight contract coverage and acknowledged rising service demand. The meeting record shows mutual-aid transports to and from neighboring townships and a mix of incidents (crashes, misdemeanor/felony activities, animal rescue).