(From the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation)
Housing is a challenge facing many of our friends and neighbors in Hancock County.
We’ve committed $150,000 to help address this need, and we’re challenging our community to invest with us.
Learn more about our Community Housing and Interim Housing Program Funds at community-foundation.com/rooted.
(From the Findlay Police Department)
Are you looking for a career where you can effect change in your community?
Are you looking for a career where you get to help people?
We’re always looking for dedicated men and women to join on our team.
Check out our latest recruitment video to find out what we’re all about.
Interested? Follow our social media pages and website for future testing dates and announcements.
(From the Office of the State Fire Marshal)
As the state of Ohio continues to experience an alarming decline in the number of its volunteer firefighters, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal’s Ohio Fire Academy has launched an innovative new portal to more easily and directly connect Ohioans with available opportunities at their local fire houses so communities across the state continue to have access to the protection they deserve.
Approximately 70% of Ohio’s nearly 1,200 fire departments rely on volunteers, but a significant decline in the volunteer fire service is jeopardizing its future viability. While the number of emergency calls is increasing across the state, the number of volunteer firefighters is decreasing. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 6.5% decrease in the number of volunteer firefighters; meanwhile, from 2018 to 2020, there was a 9% increase in calls.
The nation is experiencing a similar trend. According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, approximately 65% of the country’s estimated 1,041,200 firefighters are volunteers, and 64% of 29,452 fire departments in the U.S. are all-volunteer. In 2020, the number of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. reached a low while call volume has more than tripled in the last 35 years.
The Division’s new state-of-the-art Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment Portal aims to address these challenges by streamlining the recruitment process and making it easier than ever for Ohioans who are interested in joining the volunteer fire service to connect with their local department. In a matter of just seconds, Ohioans can enter basic location and contact information into the portal and submit an inquiry that is sent directly to their nearest volunteer fire departments. Once submitted, the fire chiefs of those departments are notified so they can follow up with those interested individuals.
“Volunteer fire departments are the backbone of Ohio’s fire service, and our hope is that this new recruitment portal is a game-changer for them, especially in terms of their ability to engage with and recruit the next generation of brave hometown heroes,” said State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon. “For anyone looking to serve their community, this is truly a one-stop shop to get connected with their local volunteer departments and make a potentially life-saving difference.”
The development of this portal expands upon recent efforts by the Division of State Fire Marshal to address the decline in volunteer firefighters. Following the 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Fire Service Task Force, over the past year, the Division has launched two media campaigns to highlight this dangerous trend and encourage Ohioans to consider becoming volunteer firefighters. These campaigns directed individuals to the National Volunteer Fire Council’s Make Me a Firefighter website at makemeafirefighter.org and resulted in a significant increase in inquiries about volunteer opportunities in the state. During the campaigns, Ohio-based visits to makemeafirefighter.org increased by over 1,000% from the preceding year, more than 14,000 zip code searches were conducted, and users initiated over 2,500 actions to contact a local fire department, such as completing an interest form or making a call. As a result of the success of this initiative, the Division’s campaign was recently named a finalist for a prestigious Ragan Communications PR Daily Nonprofit Communications Award.
The new Volunteer Recruitment Portal allows the Division to further enhance these efforts by focusing on local recruitment and providing additional support and resources to volunteer fire departments throughout Ohio. Whereas makemeafirefighter.org is a nationwide search database, this new portal is specific to Ohio and allows the Division to more directly engage with volunteers and notify department leadership of potential volunteer interest.
In addition to the awareness campaigns and development of this new portal, the Division of State Fire Marshal continues to support future volunteer firefighter recruitment efforts by providing training and classes for volunteer firefighters and volunteer departments at no cost to them.
“The future of Ohio’s volunteer fire service is critical to the future safety of our communities and those who call them home,” Reardon said. “While we are committed to doing everything possible to support the men and women of the volunteer fire service, we are calling on brave and selfless Ohioans in every corner of the state to consider how they might step up and become the heroes our communities so desperately need.”
(From Blanchard Valley Health System)
Congratulations Davis Ferry, RN, on being the August DAISY award recipient!
Davis is a nurse in the intensive care unit at Blanchard Valley Hospital, a division of Blanchard Valley Health System. He was nominated by a patient’s spouse after they witnessed the exceptional care he provided. The nominator praised his compassion, knowledge, attentiveness, and expertise. They valued Davis’s sincere concern for his patients’ health, his willingness to go above and beyond to answer any questions the family had, and his ability to make them feel heard and cared for.
“We felt like Davis truly cared about Rick and him getting better,” wrote the nominator. “It was real, not over the top, and genuine. He wanted us to have the knowledge and tools to work together to help with Rick’s care. This came across with everyone he worked with, too — they cared about each other, and they truly respected and appreciated Davis.”
Thank you, Davis, for your commitment to patient-centered, compassionate care. We’re proud to have you on #TeamBVHS.
Pictured (left to right): Betsy Ditto, RN, BSN, ICU, inpatient dialysis & wound care clinical manager; Jessica Salsbury, RN, ICU educator; BJ Pasztor, RN, chief nursing officer and chief operations officer of acute care services; Davis Ferry, RN; Michael Cifranic, MSN, RN, nursing recruitment and retention specialist.
(From the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office)
At 4:46 P.M. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an injury crash involving a motorcycle and a minivan at the intersection of US 224 and TR 259.
Through investigation it was determined Mary Taylor, age 77 of Fostoria, was traveling east on US 224 in a 2016 Chrysler minivan.
Justin Eckhart, age 42 of Sylvania, was traveling in traffic behind the minivan on a 2005 Honda motorcycle.
Eckhart attempted to pass multiple vehicles behind Taylor as she was attempting to turn north on TR 259.
In the process of passing the vehicles, Eckhart’s motorcycle collided with the driver side of Taylor’s minivan, separating him from the motorcycle.
As a result of the crash Justin Eckhart was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Mary Taylor was treated on scene for minor injuries.
A passenger in Taylor’s minivan, 79 year old David Taylor of Fostoria, was also treated on scene for minor injuries.
Assisting at the scene were The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Findlay Police Department, HANCO E.M.S., Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department, Dick’s Towing, and Reinhart’s Auto Body.
The crash remains under investigation at this time.
WFIN – The Findlay Police Department told WFIN that the motorcyclist involved in the crash was involved in a high speed pursuit with them that they terminated six minutes before the crash.
Read more on that by clicking here.
(From the Findlay Police Department)
Officers initiated a traffic stop with a motorcycle at the intersection of W Crawford St and S West St on 8-24-25 at 1634 hours for not having a license plate.
The motorcycle failed to comply with the traffic stop and continued southbound on Liberty St at high rates of speed.
The motorcycle continued westbound on Lima Ave at speeds of 100mph until it reached I-75, where the motorcycle turned northbound.
The motorcycle continued northbound on I-75 at speeds of 150mph until it reached CR99 where it turned eastbound.
The motorcycle continued eastbound on CR99 at speeds of 150mph until it reached CR236.
The motorcycle turned southbound onto CR236 and officers lost sight of it near the area of SR12.
The pursuit was terminated after officers lost sight of the motorcycle.
WFIN – The police department confirmed to WFIN that six minutes after they terminated the pursuit there was a fatal crash involving the motorcyclist at U.S. 224 and Township Road 259.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash.
(From NAMI Hancock County)
The NAMI Hancock County annual meeting will take place at 5:15 p.m. on Monday, August 25, at 305 W. Hardin St., Findlay.
The public is invited to hear about the organization’s recent activities and plans for the coming year.
The baseball-themed event will also serve as a celebration of NAMI’s purchase of their building earlier this summer.
(From the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
We have had reports of individuals going to residences saying they are paving the road and for a fee will pave into their driveway and are taking credit card information.
They have been in the Jennings Township area.
This is a scam. Do not give anyone credit card info. Or any other personal information.
If anyone has shown up at your res. about paving your drive or if you have any questions, please call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office 419-523-3208.
(From the Findlay Police Department)
On 8/22/25 dispatch received a call from a neighborhood about dogs running at large and acting aggressively.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of Deer Valley Lane.
The dogs were located on the porch of a residence.
As the officer approached the residence, the dogs attacked, biting the officer.
The officer discharged his firearm, striking each dog once.
One dog was located deceased nearby and the other dog was taken by the Hancock County Dog Warden for treatment, however was later euthanized due to its injuries.
Neither dog was wearing identification or microchipped, and the owner of the dogs has not been identified.
No citizens have reported being injured.
The Officer sustained a minor injury that did not need medical attention.
Evidence was collected at the scene and the investigation is ongoing.
(From the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation)
The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $356,637 for schools across Hancock County. Funding for education grants comes from the Allan H. Davis Civic Education Fund, Hancock Education Fund, HancockREADS Fund and the Bill and Eveline Stitt Fund. The following education grants were approved by the Board of Trustees and made possible by the generous donors of the funds listed.
“Education is a critical part of our mission to improve the quality of life for all in the community,” said Brian Treece, President & CEO of The Community Foundation. “These grants demonstrate the Foundation’s and the community’s commitment to education and ensuring our students are well-prepared for the future.”
The Allan H. Davis Civic Education Fund was established to promote the civic involvement of Findlay High School students by providing extracurricular activities and opportunities that will teach them about the rights and duties of citizens and inspire them to be active participants in the United States democratic process. Grants were awarded to:
The Hancock Education Fund was established to promote classroom learning in Hancock County schools by providing teachers with resources that encourage learning activities. Grants were awarded to:
The HancockREADS Fund was established to ensure that families and community members in Hancock County are literate and enjoy the benefits of literacy. Funds are awarded to civic and service organizations, schools, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations addressing literacy issues. Grants were awarded to:
The Bill and Eveline Stitt Fund was established to support early literacy intervention for preschool through third-grade students using mentors. Grants were awarded to:
Grant applications for these funds open in February each year. Applications are due on the first Friday in March. Details are available here.