MONCLOVA, Ohio — Monclova Township is growing, but the fire department is not.
Residents expressed support Monday night to keep the fire department in the township, but doing that means making changes.
Fire Chief Kevin Bernhard and township trustees are looking at two options to help provide better services.
Their first option is to partner with Springfield Township to use its services.
Their second option is to add more full-time employees to expand to round-the-clock coverage.
"You have 55 people that would love a full-time opportunity right here in Monclova," Kyle Miller, a Monclova Township firefighter, said. "They perform jobs, have better coverage, better assistance, it all should stay here."
But with 55 people working in the department, only three of them are full-time.
Monclova Fire Chief Kevin Bernhard wants to replace two of the part-time positions with two full-time paramedics and increase the total full-time positions to six.
Monclova resident and former fire department employee, Sheila Bernhard, said more money needs to be used for the local fire department.
"It makes absolutely no sense that we have the money that we could use here for our own fire department, but yet they want to give it to another community to cover us," she said.
Both Monclova and Springfield townships already have an agreement for automatic mutual aid. This means the two townships help each other on daily calls.
But for the residents, it's not just about partnering with Springfield Township to cover services. They feel like that option is giving over both their money and their freedom.
"We lose control if we turn our services over to a different township of managing how we manage the growth, how we manage meeting the challenge of adding new people and new equipment and new services," resident Dave Fowler said.
But that's easier said than done because Monclova's fire chief said it's already struggling with staffing.
On top of that, the department is hoping residents will renew an operating levy this November.
The trustees are still in the discussion stages but would like to have progress in the next few months. And by that time, residents want to compare numbers.
"They'll have to finish gathering their data and there will be more discussions and it will give everybody a chance that wasn't here tonight, or the last meeting, to learn more," Fowler said. "And then as a community, we can make a decision with as many people as possible being aware of what's going on.".
Community members can share their thoughts online or go to the next meeting on Aug. 1.