Local fire and EMS department asks for levy to be put on ballot; says it’s becoming ‘very difficult’

GERMAN TWP. — A local fire department said it plans to ask the township to put an additional tax levy on the November ballot.

German Township Fire and EMS Chief Tim Holman said in a social media post that with the department’s current budget, it is becoming “very difficult” to sustain its operations.

He noted that 91 percent of the township’s emergency calls are EMS in nature.

Holman said all employees were given a $2 raise in January, and if possible that raise would have been much more.

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“They see things that human eyes should never see but they do their job because they care. They care about each other and they care about the people they serve,” Holman wrote.

The department is funded through tax levies and soft billing, according to Holman, meaning they only receive that which insurance will cover.

He said the department receives no money if they treat a patient at the scene and do not transport them to the hospital.

The department has taken measures to reduce money, such as downsizing their three medic units to a smaller-sized module that costs less to maintain and gets better mileage, according to Holman.

Holman said he has brought the proposition of the tax levy to township trustees but a decision has not been made at this time.

We will continue to follow this story.

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