2024 Public Safety Levy Information

Monies collected through voter-approved public safety levies will be used to fund Fire and Rescue and Sheriff’s services in Anderson Township, including:

• Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services
  • 72 full-time firefighter-paramedics-EMTs respond from 4 fire stations
  • 44,000 Anderson Township residents and 2,600 Newtown residents served
  • Emergency Medical Services
    • The Department achieved a 22.60% overall patient survival rate for non-traumatic cardiac events, more than double the national rate of 10.20%
    • There has been a 31% increase in fire department 911 calls from 2016 through 2023
    • Patients age 55+ account for 73.5% of EMS responses
    • Free child car seat safety checks
    • CPR / first aid training for the public
    • Community assistance referrals to other agencies such as the Council on Aging
  • Fire and Rescue
    • Fire safety Inspections for businesses, foster care homes, public buildings
    • Completed an Insurance Service Office review in 2017 retaining a “3” ISO rating which can result in lower insurance rates for homeowners
    • Test and maintain approximately 2,720 hydrants per year
    • Plan review (new construction, renovations, site, building, etc.)
    • Pyrotechnic safety review (Greater Anderson Day, Riverbend, etc.)
    • Water rescue along Little Miami Scenic River (12 miles) and Ohio River (6 miles)
  • Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness
    • Fire, severe weather, and active shooter drills
    • Operate Emergency Operations Center
• Sheriff’s Services
  • 35 deputies provided through a contract with the Hamilton County Sheriff
  • Deputies provide law enforcement services to approximately 44,000 residents, 17,500 households and almost 800 businesses and patrol 31.2 square miles
  • Respond to an average of 42 calls per day (15,530 dispatches in 2023)
  • Community policing model includes specialized services in schools, traffic, community safety and drug interdiction (RENU). Anderson Township initiated the School Resource Officer (SRO) program in 2001 and continues to fully fund one SRO. A second SRO was hired in 2023 in conjunction with the Forest Hills School District. The district pays the officer’s salary, and the township provides the police cruiser through Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding.
  • Additional Community Policing Programs
    • Active Threat Training
    • AED Program (AEDs in sheriff’s cruisers)
    • Bicycle Registration Program
    • CCTV (Security Camera) Registration Program
    • FBI Child ID App
    • Hamilton County Sex Offender Program
    • 85 neighborhood speed studies conducted since 2022
    • Ohio Prescription Drug Drop Box at District 5 (7954 Beechmont)
    • Project LOOK (Local Officers Observing Kids)
    • Safe Exchange Zone
    • Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy / Citizens’ Patrol
    • Vacation / Vacant House Checks – online request procedure
    • Watch Programs: 114 Neighborhood Watch, 19 Church Watch, 10 Real Estate Watch, 10 Business Watch

In 2016, voters approved a 3.55 mill public safety levy which was projected to generate enough revenue to cover expenses for five years. While it is a continuing levy, the effective millage is now 64% of the voted levy approved in 2016 as Ohio law limits the impact of inflation on property tax bills. When property values rise, the Ohio Department of Taxation reduces the tax rate so taxing authorities do not receive more money.  The only revenue increases permitted relate to the added value of new construction.  Much of that new growth is in a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.  TIF funds are utilized for capital purchases such as fire engines, ambulances, police cruisers and medical equipment which helps stretch levy dollars. Inflation, however, continues to impact the taxing authorities’ expenses resulting in an imbalance between revenue and expenditures over time.

If approved by voters, the monthly increase in taxes for a home with a Hamilton County auditor’s valuation of $200,000 is $19.25.

• In 2016, the township began an initiative to reduce false alarms. That year 2,327 alarm-related calls were made to the Hamilton County Communications Center which equated to 15.3% of all emergency dispatches in the township. Since that time, the number of calls has dropped each year, saving the cost of dispatch fees and expenses associated with emergency responses.   Efficiency and safety are increased, and call times reduced as emergency responders address true emergencies. 
  
  
  
• Hiring Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to work with paramedics
• From 2016 to 2023, Anderson Township’s medical insurance premium increases were 2% lower than the U.S. average for similarly sized employers. This was largely due to changes to the township’s coverage such as introducing co-pays levels for different classes of pharmaceuticals, requiring working spouses to take their employer’s insurance as primary and more emphasis on disease management/preventions.

• In 1994, the Anderson Township Board of Trustees established a Tax Increment Financing area covering more than 1,600 parcels throughout the township.  Once established, the TIF “locked in” real property at its unimproved value. The various taxing authorities such as the county, school, township, etc. continue to receive their portion of property taxes on the unimproved value (land).
• TIF Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) are then generated from the incremental assessed value on improvements (structures).  This means more of your tax dollars stay in Anderson rather than being distributed to the county.  All TIF PILOT payments are forwarded to the township by the Hamilton County auditor.  The township then pays the Forest Hills School District the same amount of money it would have received had the TIF not been in place (approximately 58% of the TIF revenue).

• Anderson has utilized Tax Increment Financing (TIF) dollars, rather than levy proceeds, for the purchase of capital equipment including ambulances, fire engines, heart monitors, police cruisers, and other equipment. In 2018, the township successfully lobbied the Ohio General Assembly for a change in statute which provided townships with the ability to utilize 1994 TIF dollars for continued maintenance of improvements, vehicles and equipment purchased utilizing that funding sources. As a result, maintenance costs typically charged to levy funds are now financed with TIF dollars. TIF funded purchases of police and fire equipment, and related maintenance totaled $9,095,008 between 2016 and 2023.  In summary, revenue from new growth or development has been allocated to vehicles, equipment and capital improvements, thereby stretching the township’s safety services levy.
• Anderson Township and the Village of Newtown had two fire stations located within 2.8 miles of each other but, as of January 1, 2016, those redundancies were cut in half.  Since that time, Anderson Township has provided fire and EMS services out of the Newtown fire station with 4 personnel, one engine, and one ambulance, at a location better suited to respond to most of our community.  This did NOT result in an increase in staffing, as the existing township first responders and equipment simply moved into a different and significantly improved fire station.  Newtown currently pays Anderson Township $648,000 per year to provide fire and EMS services to the village in addition to providing the facility. Negotiations to continue this contract for another three years are currently underway.
• The township obtained $601,962 in grant funding and FEMA reimbursements for storm-related responses since 2016.
• Since 2016, the township has received almost $225,000 in drug forfeiture monies through its participation in the Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit (RENU) through the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services

• Created battalion chief position focusing on enhancing EMS service delivery
• Staff additional ambulance (Medic 6) whenever possible due to increase in responses particularly in the Station 6 district (7954 Beechmont Ave.)
• In 2021 Anderson Fire and Rescue joined a program called CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) which allowed the department to identify opportunities for quality improvement leading to increased cardiac arrest survival
• Installed Locution fire station alerting system designed to reduce response times
• External chest compression “Lucas” devices were acquired for four ambulances. These devices provide uninterrupted chest compression on sudden cardiac arrest victims.

Sheriff’s Services

• 29 AEDs were donated to the township and placed in sheriff’s cruisers allowing deputies who are first on scene to begin administering life-saving care
• FususCONNECT program enables donors to share live video feeds from their security cameras with law enforcement in emergencies to improve community safety and situational awareness for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
• The Hamilton County Sheriff formed a Problem Solving Unit (PSU) in 2024 to adapt to the overall changing aspect of crime prevention and enforcement tactics. The PSU is housed within the Organized Crime Section of the Sheriff's Office. Problems affecting the township while remaining undeterred by traditional enforcement techniques/tactics are the target of the PSU. The PSU tries to address these issues from an outsid-the-box approach, finding what will deter or solve the township issue while maintaining the appropriate level of "justice" to hold those responsible accountable for their actions, whether collectively or as an individual. As an example, the PSU has increased concentration on vape stores and the sale of vaping devices to underage person(s). Since the integration of PSU, agents have conducted numerous compliance checks with vape shops/convenience stores in Anderson Township. Enforcement efforts are ongoing in the township for these specific issues.
• In the past, the Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit (RENU)/Organized Crime Section (OCS) has provided the townships with a person in RENU. Generally, this was just equated to cost rather than a dedicated person. Beginning in 2024, Anderson Township has been provided with a physical person from OCS to represent the township. This allows the Problem Solving Unit (PSU) to be far more responsive to ongoing issues and provide a more personalized experience for our community.
• Bicycle Registration Program

Two firefighters-paramedic-EMTs staff each ambulance and two operate each engine/ladder truck - both engines/ladder and medic units carry the same medical equipment, such as defibrillators and cardiac medications. In certain situations, such as cardiac events, having four personnel immediately on the scene can result in better patient care. If an ambulance is not in the immediate vicinity, if it is delayed, or perhaps transporting a prior patient to the hospital, an engine/ladder truck crew may be the first to respond to begin delivering patient care quickly.  The ambulance crew will then respond to assist with care and transport the patient to the hospital. In advanced life support situations (trauma, non-breathers, cardiac arrest, etc.) or in cases where there are multiple patients, four or more paramedics-EMTs may be needed on scene meaning that both an ambulance and engine will respond.  Thanks in large part to more detailed dispatches from the Hamilton County Communications Center (9-1-1), the number of emergency vehicles sent on responses has been reduced when it is safe to do so.

The concrete driveway at Fire Station 6 (7954 Beechmont Ave.) was cracked throughout, with severe pavement distress and deterioration along the saw-cut lines in the pavement. Water ponded across portions of the driveway resulting in sagging in the individual pavement sections. In addition, a portion of the pavement was sunken roughly 1.5 inches below the surrounding pavement and had radial cracking due to the installation of a new water meter in 2018.

Similar conditions existed at Fire Station 10 (6211 Salem Road). The driveways were cracked throughout, with severe pavement deterioration and radial cracking at concrete joints. Water ponded from the depressed concrete sections and siltation squeezed out of cracks under the weight of ambulances and engines. A fire engine’s front axle weight limit is 20,000 lbs. and the rear axle weight limit is 27,000 lbs.

The cost for driveway replacement at both stations, which was paid out of TIF funds, totaled $537,379.

Every firefighter has three priorities that are absolutes at a fire scene (in order of priority): rescue, fire control and then property conservation.

Every fire presents different challenges.  While circumstances may cause firefighters to alter basic search techniques, there does exist a systematic process for searching.  Time of day, type of structure, vehicles in a driveway, toys in a yard, information from neighbors/occupants and information from the dispatcher are just a few of the clue’s firefighters use to determine search priorities.  When a search is conducted, there is a primary search of a particular area followed by a secondary search, by a different team, of the same area – this is to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that no victims are missed.

Without information that may lead firefighters to initially concentrate a search in a particular portion of a building, the area closest to the fire on the fire floor is typically searched first.  The search systematically spreads out to adjacent areas from there.  The next area to be searched is the area of the floor above the fire.  Thereafter, higher floors or lower floors would be searched depending on the type of structure.

Having an established meeting point outside of a residence where all household members meet in an emergency can greatly assist firefighters in quickly determining if there might be possible victims remaining inside a structure.  Other members of a household provide the most accurate information as to who might still be inside and their last known location(s) within the building.

The 2024 Paramedic Protocols for paramedics specifically address specific types of care for dogs and cats during emergencies such as a house fire. ATFD’s priority is the care and treatment of people.  The Protocol addresses airway management, hemorrhage management fracture immobilization and naloxone administration (for suspected symptomatic opiate exposure) for dogs and cats.  As part of this approach, ATFD has purchased devices utilized to provide supplemental oxygen if that treatment is appropriate. These services are only available as an adjunct to emergencies people are experiencing and not as a stand-alone service.

Anderson Township Fire & Rescue personnel are dispatched by the Hamilton County Communications Center (HCCC) – the recipient of all 9-1-1 calls.  If you have information about your situation or that of someone in your household that you believe is important for rescuers to know about this information can be entered into your particular addresses’ premise history at the HCCC – tied directly to your unique address.  The HCCC computer will forward such information to responding personnel via computer displays informing responders of the situation identified.  Examples of such additional information might include mobility issues, hearing or sight impairments, intellectual disabilities, or any number of other aspects that would provide rescuers with beneficial knowledge.

If you believe your situation is important to note for rescuers, you can call 513 688-8400, ext. 1195, and provide this information to the fire department administrative assistant Lisa Farrar.  This information will then be entered our information system for future reference.