Rocky Ridge: Fire dept. auction set for Sept. 24

If you’re in the market for a 1982 Ford F-250 pickup truck equipped to fight grass fires or a 14-foot boat with a trolling motor and trailer you may want to schedule a stop in the Village of Rocky Ridge this coming weekend.
Vehicles and equipment of the village’s fire department will be auctioned Sept. 24 by Overmyer Auction Service.
The auctioning of equipment will start at 10 a.m. and vehicles will be auctioned at noon, Jon Overmyer said.
Mayor Brenda Goetz said the department hasn’t been able to maintain a sufficient roster of volunteers and village residents weren’t supportive of a property tax levy to fund its operations.
The village is now contracting with the Portage Fire District for fire protection, she said.
A 2004 Ford Crown Victoria is also on the auction block along with a 1997 Freightliner fire truck, a 1992 Ford E-350 Horton emergency vehicle, and a riding lawnmower.
Hundreds of feet of fire hoses, air compressors, ladders, turnout gear, nozzles, tools and cabinets, welders, and Kinman Jaws of Life are also being sold. Even a bingo game system and roulette wheels the department used at fundraisers will be up for auction.
The mayor said closing the department is particularly poignant for her as she was a firefighter/EMT for more than 20 years.
A representative of the Ohio Fire Marshal’s office visited the village earlier this year, according to the mayor.
A spokesman for the office said any decision to close the department was made at the local level.
“While the men and women of the Division of State Fire Marshal are equipped to educate and share solutions with individual departments, decisions related to fire service operations in individual communities are the responsibility of that community’s governing body.
“In this particular case, the community chose not to invest in their department and contract with a neighboring department for fire protection services. This decision was made outside of any recommendation by the Division of State Fire Marshal,” Andy Ellinger, public information officer, said in an email to The Press.
The auction will be held at 14570 Kania Dr., Rocky Ridge.