Fire Department Mission Statement

“It is OUR MISSION to provide a professional level of fire safety, life safety, and emergency medical services to the people and property within Plymouth Township to prevent or minimize the loss of life, pain and suffering, and property damage.

This will be accomplished through the effective utilization of our members and cooperative efforts with our neighbors for our mutual benefit in the application of state-of-the-art-equipment, innovative and aggressive use of techniques, and available technology in order to provide the highest quality of service and a commitment toward excellence.”

Fire Department History

The Plymouth Township Volunteer Fire Rescue Company was established a little over 75 years ago, in 1948. The fire department first operated off of Carson Road East and shared a building with the township road department, on what is now one of their gravel storage areas. This location lasted until the 1960s, when the location of the current Fire Station One was donated to the township after a house fire which had occurred on this property.  

This location helped improve services to the community, as it served as a more centralized location from which to respond to emergencies throughout the township. It gave the department its own space, which was needed to develop into what it is today. It also located the fire department closer to the old Plymouth Elementary School (closed in 2011) and the Plymouth Methodist Church. 

In the 1970s, the department expanded into Volunteer Emergency Medical Service when the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department and local funeral homes discontinued their ambulance services. Plymouth then obtained the county’s first 4×4 Ambulance in 1981. 

In the late 1970s, the need for a second fire station was realized, when coal trains coming out of the Ashtabula harbor often created delayed responses due to blocked railroad tracks on State, Plymouth and Carson Roads. The geography of the train tracks from the harbor to what is known as “Carson Rail Yard” created the perfect first rest stop for trains to switch tracks or engineers, or simply to make more room in the harbor for more trains to load up with coal. This resulted in splitting the Township in half, with no easy way around blocked crossings. 

Recognizing the need for a second station, in 1980 the Carlisle family donated property on the north side of the tracks, on Stevenson Road. A small two-bay station was built to house a fire engine and ambulance. These units ensured that, in the event of the tracks being blocked, there were still adequate emergency response resources available on both sides of the tracks. 

Beginning around 2010, these delays were reduced with the closing of the Ashtabula harbor coal docks due to the rapidly-decreasing demand for coal, with cleaner energy sources now being available. However, Station Two is still in service today and now houses reserve fire engine 171 and utility unit 186, along with a off-road utility unit. 

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created new challenges for the fire department. A severe shortage of volunteer staffing, along with rising 911 call demands, created the need for the Township to change the department from a “Private Volunteer Fire Department” to a “Township Combination Fire Department.” Part-time paid personnel were hired to better serve and support the volunteers in providing emergency services to township residents. The Department was then converted to the “Plymouth Township Fire Department” and changed from a 100% volunteer service to a combination Fire Department with Part-Time and Paid-Per-Call (Volunteer) Staff. 

In 2021, township voters passed a 5-mill continuing levy to meet the increased funding demands that was required to support this new operational design. Restructuring of the department was begun, along with planning for upgrading and renovating the outdated Station One and Community Room.

Today the Plymouth Township Fire Department provides fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to roughly 2,000 residents over 22.4 square miles, and covers roughly 11 miles of interstate and state route highways. The Fire Department runs an average of 500 calls per year and has a combined staff of 26 members. 

The fire department is staffed with two part-time personnel seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. These part-time personnel are backed up by volunteer members for second-out calls, and larger incidents that require more personnel on scene, like for structure fires, motor vehicle crashes and specialty rescue calls. This staff is cross-trained in the areas of Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection, Ice rescue, Rope Rescue and Hazardous Material Incidents. 

We are proud of our history and proud to serve the residents of Plymouth Township. We are excited to see what else the future has in store for us!

Fire Chief

Chief William Strubbe –

Bill joined the department as a cadet/volunteer firefighter in 1980. He was appointed by the township trustees as the fire prevention officer in 1991 and he became Chief of the Plymouth Volunteer Fire Company in 1996. Following the restructuring of the department in October of 2020, Bill was then appointed as the new Part-time Fire Chief of the Plymouth Township Fire Department. Since Joining the Department he has obtained his Firefighter 2, EMT-Basic and former EMT-Advanced, Fire & EMS Instructor, Fire safety Inspector, Hazardous Materials Technician, Hazardous Materials Incident Command, Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness Level Instructor, Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Operations Level Instructor, Emergency Vehicle Driver Trainer Instructor, National Incident Management System Certified, Incident Safety Officer, Unified Command for Multi-Agency & Catastrophic Events, Radiological Monitoring, Trench & Excavation Rescue Awareness Level and Basic Wildfire certifications.

Lieutenants

Plymouth Township currently has three Lieutenants that operate under the Fire Chief. These Lieutenants serve on a part-time level and perform various tasks throughout their shifts such as but not limited too – Report entering and QA, Employee management, Organize Department trainings, Submitting reports for state and federal records, Generate yearly and monthly statistics, Inventory and Ordering of operating supplies, Grant writing and researching, Etc.

Pay Rate: $17.75-$19.25 per hour

Minimum Qualifications: Firefighter 2, EMT-Basic and be National Incident Management System Certified in (100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800)

Lt. Jonathon Richardson –

Jonathon joined the department as a Volunteer in 2007. Jonathon was promoted to Lieutenant in 2012 and again during the restructuring of the department in 2020. Since joining the department he has obtained his Firefighter 2, Paramedic, National Incident Management System Certified, CPR & First-aid Instructor, Fire & EMS Instructor, Fire Inspector and Rope Rescue certifications.

Lt. Anthony Welker –

Aj joined the department as a Volunteer in 2012. AJ was promoted to Lieutenant in 2014 and again during the restructuring of the department in 2020. Since joining the department he has obtained his Firefighter 2, EMT-Basic, National Incident Management System Certified, CPR & First-aid Instructor and Hazmat Technician certifications.

Lt. Gregory Strubbe –

Greg joined the department as a Cadet/Volunteer in 2012. Greg was promoted to Lieutenant in 2023. Since joining the department he has obtained his Associates Degree in Fire Science Technologies, Firefighter 2, Paramedic, National Incident Management System Certified, CPR & First-aid Instructor, Fire & EMS Instructor, Hazmat Technician and Rope Rescue certifications.

Part-Time Firefighters

Plymouth Township currently has 18 Part-time firefighters on its roster and is always looking for great candidates to add to its ranks! These Part-Time Firefighters are Required to be certificated to the Firefighter/EMT/Advanced or Firefighter/Paramedic Levels. Minimum qualifications for our Part-time positions are a valid State of Ohio drivers license and a State of Ohio Firefighter 1 and EMT-Basic Certification. Flexible eight and sixteen hour shifts are available, seven days a week from 7am-11pm.

Benefits for Part-Time employees:

  • Bi-weekly Direct deposit pay
  • 13 paid Holidays at “time and one half” rate
  • Quick Call pay at “double time” rate
  • Night Shift standby pay to cover the night shift when the department is not staffed 11pm-7am.
  • Yearly Uniform allowance
  • Further pay steps for advanced training in areas such as (Rope rescue, Hazmat Tech., Water/Ice rescue, Fire Officer Training, Fire Instructor and Inspector Training, and More!)
  • Sponsored/Paid State Certification Training
  • Free subscription to an online Continuing Education site to maintain certifications

Pay rates are:

  • FF1/EMT – $16.75-$17.25 per hour
  • FF2/EMT – $17.25-$17.75 per hour
  • FF1/Paramedic or FF2/EMT-Advanced- $17.75-$18.25 per hour
  • FF2/Paramedic – $18.25-$18.75 per hour

Paid-Per-Call “Volunteer” Firefighters and EMTs

Plymouth Township currently has 8 Paid-Per Call “Volunteer” firefighters and EMTs on its roster and is always looking for great candidates to add to its ranks! The Paid-Per-Call “Volunteer” Firefighters are required to be certified to any of the State of Ohio Firefighter levels and/or EMT/Advanced and/or Paramedic levels. Minimum qualifications are that you must have a valid driver’s license and a minimum of State of Ohio Volunteer Firefighter and/or EMT-Basic Certification, or be able to obtain one of these within 12 months of employment. Candidate must reside within a seven-mile radius of the fire station. The Paid-Per-Call Position is used to cover for second out 911 calls and respond to emergencies that require additional personnel to assist the Part-time duty crew, such as at major medical, fires, motor vehicle crashes, and rescues calls; and to cover all calls during the night time hours when the station is not manned with part-time personnel. The Paid-Per-Call employee will be required to be available/sign up for an agreed number of minimum hours per month.

Benefits and Pay Incentive:

  • $20.00 per call from 7am-11pm
  • $30.00 per call from 11pm-7am
  • Night Shift Standby $20 per shift
  • Fill-In EMT pay
  • Bi-Weekly Direct deposit Pay
  • Uniform Allowance
  • Sponsored/Paid State Certification Training
  • Free subscription to an online Continuing Education site to maintain certifications.

Applications to Join the Department are available at:

  • Ohiomeansjobs.com, 2247 Lake Ave., Ashtabula, OH 44004, phone 440-994-1234.
  • Indeed.com “Plymouth Township Fire Department”
  • The Plymouth Fire Department located at 1001 Plymouth Rd. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004, Phone 440-993-4350. You can also check us out on Facebook @Plymouth Twp. Fire Department!

2024 Run Statistics

Total Incidents – 516 calls for service

Medical Calls – 306 calls for service

  • 199 Total Transports to the Hospital
  • 107 Total Refusal/Non-Transports to the Hospital
  • 156 Transports to Ashtabula Regional Medical Center
  • 28 Transports to Conneaut Medical Center
  • 15 Transports to Geneva Medical Center

Motor Vehicle Accidents – 74 calls for service

Fire/Rescue Calls – 136 calls for service.

Community Programs

  • Green Reflective Address Signs – Free for Plymouth Township Residents. $12 for Non-Plymouth Residents. Free Installation also available for Plymouth residents.
  • BLS & Heartsaver CPR/First Aid classes – $30 per student, $25 per student for classes over 10 students.
  • Smoke & CO Detectors – Free for Plymouth Township Residents. Free Installation also available for Plymouth residents.
  • Fire Safety Inspections – For commercial buildings in Plymouth Township.
  • Adoption/Foster Fire Safety Inspections
  • Knox box / Lock Box – Free for Plymouth Township Residents. These allow the fire department access in the event of an emergency.
  • General Health Checks – Free for Plymouth Township Residents. (Blood Pressure, Spo2, Blood Glucose Level, 12-lead Electrocardiogram)

All Inquiries on our programs please contact the fire department on our Non-Emergency line at 440-993-4350.