The Canal Fulton Fire Department (CFFD) is a Fire & EMS service provider for a community of approximately 18,000 residents in an urban setting that surrounds the historical district and newer commercial/retail sections of the City of Canal Fulton. Due to our geographic makeup, we have a cooperative agreement/automatic aid agreement with Lawrence Township Fire Department, increasing our Primary/First-Due Response Area. Canal Fulton borders and regularly provides mutual aid to Ohio's Division of Natural Resources Forestry Wildfire protection area. CFFD provides fire prevention programs to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate incidences of deaths and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards. We address these areas through inspection, code enforcement, public fire, and life safety education, and occupant services. It is our goal to be proactive when protecting the lives and property of the people we serve. Canal Fulton is part of Stark County, Ohio; the State’s 7th largest county, with 581 sq miles and over 375,000 residents. Canal Fulton serves the surrounding area with its commercial businesses, small shops, farms, open land, and other natural resources. Canal Fulton is geographically divided in half by a multiuse walking/bicycling trail. In the '90s, communities along the Ohio Erie Canal-way began working together to reconstruct the old canal towpath into a multi-use trail. Now with most of this trail completed in Cuyahoga, Summit, and Stark Counties, Canal Fulton has become a destination for cyclists, hikers, equestrians, and bird watchers throughout the region. Tourism has become a major factor in Canal Fulton with a seasonal population increase, with its concerts and events that draw thousands of tourists from across the state. Canal Fulton's education system is made up of one public school, a Catholic school, and a private charter learning center. The largest School District, Northwest, is located within Canal Fulton. Northwest School District overlaps parts of Stark County, Summit County, and Wayne County. The District currently has 147 certified employees, 85 classified employees and 2,200 students in the K-12 grade. The 2010 Census showed that approximately 18% of the population is 65 years of age or older. Canal Fulton also has senior services through the Northwest Stark Senior Center. This center serves senior citizens and others within Canal Fulton and surrounding areas. It would be remiss not to highlight the collaborative/shared services of the Lawrence Township Fire Department (LTFD). CFFD and LTFD operate under a joint staffing and fire service agreement that was formed in the late 1990s to close a gap in our response capability. The department also utilizes its explorer program.
