Gary Weltlich
Remembering Gary Weltlich
By Assistant Chief Jim Paxton
I realized thirty-plus years ago, that my chosen profession was inherently dangerous. I grew up in a firehouse and witnessed firsthand some of the job's less desirable side effects. I heard eyewitness accounts of harrowing events, I saw the scars, the stitches and the crutches. Although the fire service is adept to quickly helping others, we have often been less responsive to our own needs. Commitment to the Fire/EMS profession is surrounded by history and traditions. These traditions become sacred customs within the Fire/EMS service. Some traditions are service wide, crossing all jurisdictional boundaries. Others may be local or regionally based. All hold an organizational value that may not be explainable or understandable to the outside world. Although history and tradition are key components to the Fire/EMS service, they can also create a stubbornness and habits that are often difficult to change.
Safety professionals, we knew that seat belts help save lives. However, across the country it took decades for fire department policies to catch-up with state statutes and require all crew members to wear seat belts at all times in moving fire trucks. Seat belt usage remains a contested issue in the rear of ambulances as manufacturers and paramedics try to create a method of safely securing the crew while still allowing for the mobility and movement needed for patient care. As technology enhanced and improved firefighters' structural gear, tradition often trumped safety, as firefighters initially resisted different looking helmets, or styles of coats, pants and boots. To illustrate that you were a savvy or gristled veteran of many fires, you would leave your helmet and gear covered in the by-products of the fires you extinguished. If you experienced any sort of emotional side-effects from traumatic runs, you accepted it as a scar of the occupation. You could both deal with it and prove you were cut out for the job, or you could find something else to do.
Daily workout room Station 592
Slowly we evolve. The Fire Service is responding to the disproportionate threat it is facing from cancer. This past August, the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs in conjunction with the National Volunteer Fire Council released their Lavender Ribbon Report, which outlines 11 actions to help mitigate the risk of cancer in the fire service. Recognizing the increasing threat and dangers that the fire service is facing from PTSD, the International Association of Firefighters recently opened the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery. The center is a one-of-a-kind treatment facility specializing in addiction, PTSD and other related behavioral health challenges facing IAFF members. This center was designed by firefighters for firefighters.
The Violet Township Fire Department is committed to serving our community and customers both externally and internally. Recently, the fire department and community lost a good friend and safety advocate with the passing of former Violet Township Trustee Gary Weltlich. As a trustee, Gary persistently pushed the VTFD to review and reduce all accidents. He truly believed that all accidents were preventable. Through his efforts, we began reconstructing and reviewing all accidents. With his guidance, we were able to reduce injuries and develop a health and wellness program that benefits all of our members. We utilize an onsite physical therapist who helps to diagnosis/treat and rehab injuries. The physical therapist, Heather, spends time riding with the crews and carefully studying the mechanics of our job. Her efforts have helped reduce our injuries and aid in our recovery. VTFD has solicited the professional expertise of a strength coach/exercise physiologist who has helped guide the way we eat, as well as evaluate and enhance the way we train. Our organization is fortunate to have members in house who are trained as mental health peer counselors as well as several members who have been trained in critical incident stress management. Our fire department chaplain can frequently be found riding with the crews, and readily responds to our members' needs as well as the needs of people we may encounter during the course of an incident. As an organization, we are trying to address the health and needs of our people. By doing this, we continue to fulfill our mission to the community, a tradition we strive to keep.
Photos courtesy of John Eisel and Holly Mattei
Violet Township Community Center Update
By John Eisel, Director or Operations and Holly Mattei, AICP, Development Director
Violet Township held a Community Center Public Meeting on Dec. 6, 2018 where 100 residents were in attendance. At the meeting, Township staff, and its consultants Moody Nolan and Rockmill Financial, presented the details of a future community center. Since May 2018, Moody Nolan has worked with more than 60 residents in focus group meetings, along with a steering committee, to help identify the various components of the proposed facility and the associated cost. Simultaneously, Rockmill Financial has worked with a Community Center Finance Committee, comprised of approximately 60 residents, with an average attendance of 37 per meeting, to identify the best way to finance the proposed facility.
The December meeting, a potential community center layout, site layout and conceptual renderings were presented. The proposed cost to construct and furnish the potential community center is projected to be $46 million with an additional $2 million annually for operations. The Community Center Finance Committee is recommending that a 4.59 mil Parks and Recreation Tax Levy be placed on the May 2019 ballot, which if approved, would allow the township to finance the construction of the community center over a 25 year period. It would also provide $2 million annually for operations along with $210,000 for annual capital replacement. This proposed tax levy, based upon the 2019 Estimated Property Tax Valuation, would be $13.39 monthly per $100,000 home.
The conceptual plans include a 95,000 square foot facility that would include two, full size gyms, separate competitive and leisure pools with locker rooms, a fitness area, several multi-purpose rooms, a child watch area for parents using the facility, a teaching kitchen, and a study/quiet room on the first floor. The second floor would include a walking/jogging track, exercise rooms and an arts and crafts room. Two outdoor athletic fields are also proposed.
The proposed site plan shows the community center being constructed at the southeast corner of Refugee and Pickerington Roads. The Township has been working with a property owner for a potential land donation in this area. This area also has room for potential economic growth that may be spurred from the construction of a community center.
The estimated price tag also includes the cost associated with developing the site, which will include the necessary access, water and sewer improvements to service the facility, 500 parking spaces and storm water retention. The site plan also include space for future building expansion, future outdoor aquatics, and other future partner spaces. These “future” spaces are not included in the estimated cost.
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The proposal will now be presented to the Township Trustees who will determine if and when to place a tax levy on the ballot. Ultimately, this will be a community driven project. The residents will decide at the ballot box if this facility will move from a concept to final design and construction.
For more information and continuous updates, please visit www.investwithviolet.com.
