Response to a chimney fire over the weekend is sparking concerns over response time with the Ellsworth Fire Department.

Discussion over concerns with the department and its staffing spread on social media after a former employee of the fire department made a Facebook post, calling for a change to the fire department.

Ken Hernan, Former Ellsworth volunteer firefighter, posted this statement on Facebook saturday:

“The Ellsworth fire department was dispatched for a fire at 4:23 pm today. Canfield fire was the first fire department on scene followed by North Jackson,  Berlin,  and Milton. The first Ellsworth fire truck took 30 minutes to get on scene.   It is well past time that Ellsworth joins a fire district so we can get the 6 mills of taxes that we pay for 24/7 fire protection.”

Firefighters tell 21 News they started responding to the fire Saturday morning immediately, and even though they took 30 minutes to get to the scene, mutual aid was there within 6 minutes of the call. 

Ashley King Armeni of Ellsworth feels this is a problem.

“You're paying all this money to Ellsworth to fully staff your fire department, but when you hear that other fire departments are responding before the… jurisdiction that you live in, and they're the last ones on call, it's pretty disappointing,” said Armeni.

In November of 2022, Ellsworth residents passed a 5.77 mill levy to generate around $415,000 for staffing and EMS services. 

“That is a lot of money when we live  in a little place. So, if you’re not going to have enough people to staff, you know, even a volunteer fire department, you need to start looking at other options,” said Armeni. “I think that Ellsworth should be a joint district. I do know people that have had to call EMS, and it’s not Ellsworth that is showing up.”

The department posted a response to the social media concerns on their facebook saturday night:

“Due to some recent comments, there are a few things we would like to address. Ellsworth Fire, along with automatic mutual aid, were dispatched to a possible chimney fire on S. Bailey Road this afternoon. This incident came in after our day shift duty crew went off shift. Unfortunately, we were limited with staffing due to availability leaving calls to be answered by our off duty personnel. Just like most volunteer, part time, and even full time departments, there are times where departments run thin. Majority of fire departments have automatic mutual aid agreements in place for incidents like these to assure we have the appropriate response. We work closely with and appreciate all of our mutual aid departments and help each other out when needed. The Township Administration, The Fire Department Administration, and The Men and Women of The Fire Department, are constantly reviewing operations to assure the community is receiving the service they deserve. Every member takes pride in serving this community and will continue to always be here for you. Statistics are always being gathered and available to show that having in house staffing makes a difference. As always, please feel free to reach out and ask questions or come to a Trustees’ meeting to get the actual facts. We would be more than happy to speak with you. We thank you for your continued support.”

21 News asked the Ellsworth fire department for comment. They sent this statement on behalf of the department and Ellsworth Trustees:

“We understand the public's concern about this matter. We need more time to investigate the issues so we can provide the most accurate information as soon as we can.”

Trustee Bob Toman is inviting anyone with concerns over the fire department to come to the trustees meeting on April 7.