Southwest Mercer Fire District

10/11/2026

Another successful omelette breakfast. Thank you for your continued support. Shout out to Mercer County prosecutor Erin Minor, and her daughter and Officer Don Bird for helping us out, thank you. 

10/07/2026

09/21/2026

🚨 DID YOUR PHONE JUST CALL 911? 🚨

Automated Crash Detection can save lives — but accidental activations can also trigger an emergency response.

We have responded to alerts caused by phones or smart devices that were:

📱 Dropped
🚗 Fallen from a vehicle
💥 Exposed to a sudden impact

Help prevent unnecessary emergency responses:

• Know your device’s crash detection settings.
• Secure your phone while traveling.
• If an alert activates accidentally, cancel or respond to it immediately.
• Follow any instructions from your device or emergency dispatcher.

Crash Detection is a valuable safety tool. Please use it responsibly.

08/22/2026

🚒 In most of Ohio, when you call for help, the people who come are not on shift. They were at their own kitchen table four minutes ago.

Ohio has well over a thousand fire departments, and the large majority of them run on volunteers or mostly volunteers. In small towns and townships all across this state, the roster is a farmer, a welder, a nurse, a school bus driver, a guy who runs a body shop, and a nineteen year old who joined because his dad did. They carry pagers. They leave dinner. They leave church. They leave their kid's game in the third inning and somebody else's parent finishes watching it for them.

They also train constantly on their own time for certifications the public never sees. They run the pancake breakfast that pays for the equipment. They put the truck in the Fourth of July parade and let every kid in town climb on it. And when it is two in the morning and it is somebody's barn or somebody's house, they show up anyway, for a stipend that in a lot of places would not cover the gas. 🧡

That whole system only works because people keep saying yes to it, year after year, with no real reason except that it is their town. Who was the person on your local department that everybody knew would be first on the truck?

08/19/2026

Spoke with US National Weather Service Wilmington OH they told us these are likely Cold Air Funnels and likely will not touch the ground. Please let us know where you spot them and stay clear from them.

07/27/2026

July has been a busy month for the SWMFD Firefighters! 🚒

From Touch-a-Trucks, the St. Clair 5K, National Night Out, community parades, America’s 250th Celebration, firework inspections, and emergency responses, our members have been busy serving the community. We’ll also be providing coverage for the NTPA Tractor Pulls at the end of the month.

Even with a packed schedule, training never stops.

This month’s regular training night focused on vehicle extrication using both our battery-powered and hydraulic HURST rescue tools. Crews worked through a realistic farm accident scenario involving multiple passenger vehicles and a tractor to simulate the unique incidents we may encounter on our rural roadways.

In the scenario, responders stabilized the vehicles and tractor, practiced creating safe work areas, and performed coordinated extrication techniques while working around heavy farm equipment. These hands-on exercises help sharpen our skills, improve teamwork, and ensure we’re prepared to safely and efficiently rescue patients when every second counts.

Training like this builds confidence, reinforces our procedures, and helps ensure we’re ready for whatever call comes next.

Because when the tones drop, preparation makes all the difference. 🚒💪

A special thank you to K&L Tractor Sales, Inc. for providing the tractor and Barnetts Wrecker Service for supplying the vehicles that made this realistic training possible. Your support helps us train for the emergencies we may face in our community.