The Union Township Fire Department was established in 1990. As the township has grown to over 43,000 residents and hundreds of thriving businesses, the department has grown with it. Five fire stations are staffed with full-time cross- trained firefighting and emergency medical service personnel 24 hours per day, seven days a week. These personnel provide fire and emergency medical services to the township and the Village of Amelia. The department became accredited in 2004 by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and also maintains an excellent rating of 3 by the Insurance Services Offices (ISO) and continues to build upon that status.
The Union Township Fire Department has established the following mission statement:
It is the mission of the Union Township Fire Department - Clermont County, Ohio, to strive to be on the cutting edge of excellence by exceeding expectations in providing Life Safety Services to the community. Our focus is to promote the protection of lives, property and the environment through prevention, education, timely response, mitigation and the actions of highly trained, dedicated and motivated personnel. This is directed at making a safer and healthier community.
Going above the call of duty is just the right thing to do
Union Twp. - Ask Chief Stanley Deimling and he will most likely say the driving force behind the fire department's mission is the sincere desire to make a difference at a time when it really matters. Apparently, Colerain Township Fire Chief G. Bruce Smith feels the same.
In the aftermath of the tragic service-related deaths of Colerain's Captain Robin Broxterman and Firefighter Brian Schira last April, the Union Township Fire Department sent two paramedic units and crews to the other side of town to provide extra coverage - one for the visitation and one the day of the funeral. In addition, many Union Township firefighters took their own time to attend one or both of the services.
The natural camaraderie among fire departments the world over is borne of the understanding that comes with complete knowledge of and dependence on the team. Each situation is a potentially dangerous one and requires skill and, above all, trust.
When the unthinkable happens, the loss is profoundly felt across geographical lines, and that desire to make a difference kicks in. Chief Deimling would say it's just part of the job.
That is why the chief said he was touched when Colerain's Chief Smith sent a letter dated Sept. 26. In short, the thanks from Colerain's chief came in the form of a resolution passed by Colerain Township trustees.
"WHEREAS …the Union Township Fire (Clermont County) Fire Department along with other departments in Greater Cincinnati, generously and without hesitation, offered its apparatus and personnel to provide coverage for fire and EMS services in Colerain Township; and
"WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Board of Trustees recognize such kindness and extraordinary service on the permanent record of its proceedings."
The resolution officially declares the trustees' gratitude to the UTFD, and the letter that Chief Smith attached reiterates his " … personal thanks for everything you and your organization have done for us in the subsequent months. We will be forever indebted to you and the members of your department for that assistance."
Deimling and his colleagues know the thread among their brotherhood is fragile, yet strong. Duty takes them into roaring fires and, infrequently yet too often, into hushed visitations. To be acknowledged for stepping up to that duty was, as the chief said, touching.
