Fire Department
Heath’s Fire Department was first founded in 1951 when Heath was a village, and seventeen volunteers responded to fire calls. Their equipment was housed in volunteer Chief Robert Oberfield’s garage. One new station was followed by another, until those two stations were eventually replaced by the modern ones of today. Richard Padar was hired in 1970 as Heath’s first paid chief soon after the municipality began providing Emergency Medical Services (EMS). In addition to Fire and EMS, services of today include fire inspections, fire safety training, and CPR training. The city has also adopted the Knox Box Rapid Entry System in commercial buildings.
Census 2000 showed Heath’s population at 8,527, but the daytime population explodes to over 35,000. Heath Fire/EMS responds to about 1,800 calls yearly in a service area of approximately 12.5 square miles. Always striving for improvement, Heath currently has an (insurance) ISO rating of 5.
Heath’s two newer stations house three structural engines, three ALS emergency medical units, a Walters ARFF truck, a 100’ SkyArm Tower, a utility 4X4, and the county’s HazMat truck, Foam Response Trailer, and Water Rescue Trailer.
The Heath Fire Department of today has sixteen full-time firefighter/paramedics, along with a volunteer force of twenty-two. A three-platoon system provides each shift with a Captain, a Lieutenant, and three full-time Firefighter/Medics. Chief Mark Huggins runs the department.
Two property tax levies compliment the income tax based funding.
Non-Emergency numbers:
Fire Station #1: (740) 522-4585
Fire Station #2: (740) 522-5101
Fax #: (740) 522-4588
Fire or medical emergency: Dial 911