Silvercreek Township Fire/EMS Department

09/15/2026

Sometimes we get into situations where we need to tend to our own.

Happy to report Captain Cottrell is doing just fine. 😆

Also, a not-so-gentle reminder that our department’s annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser is this Saturday. We need to raise money for at least one new office chair.

09/11/2026

Today we enjoyed spending time with Greeneview Middle School students to honor those lives lost 25 years ago. They put on a wonderful presentation. Thank you for the invitation.

09/10/2026

With the permission of Keith Cavender and his family, we would like to share the story of Keith’s recent medical emergency and recovery and ask our community to keep Keith and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

Silvercreek Township Fire Department is staffed around the clock, with two part-time firefighter/EMS personnel on duty 24 hours a day. That means when someone in our township calls 911, there is a crew at the station ready to respond.

At 10:38 Saturday night, that call came from Keith’s home.

Our crew arrived three minutes later and found Keith’s wife, Sue, already performing CPR. Our personnel took over his care, and additional EMS personnel soon arrived to assist, including paramedics from Cedarville.

After continued CPR and emergency treatment, Keith regained a pulse and began breathing again. He was transported for additional care and later admitted to the ICU. Since then, his family has shared encouraging news about his progress and recovery.

For many of us at STFD, this call was especially personal.

Keith and his brother Kenny served on this fire department years ago, and Keith also served his community as a Jamestown police officer. He has spent a significant part of his life serving the same community that had the opportunity to serve him Saturday night.

As Chief, I’m incredibly proud of the men and women who responded that night. I’m thankful for our neighboring responders who came alongside us, including the paramedics from Cedarville and the Jamestown Police officer who assisted on scene. I’m especially thankful for Sue, who immediately began CPR before our crew arrived.

But more than anything, I’m grateful for Keith.

I’ve known him and his family for more than 40 years. There are calls in this job that stay with you, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of a pulse returning or watching someone I’ve known for so long begin breathing again.

Keith still has a road of recovery ahead of him, but we are incredibly thankful for the progress he has made.

His family welcomes your prayers and encouragement in the days ahead.

It was our privilege to be there when Keith needed us—and it is our privilege every day to serve the people of Silvercreek Township.

Chief Steve Payton

09/09/2026

🍂 Jamestown Fall Festival is just over a week away! 🍂

Come out and visit Silvercreek Township Fire/EMS during the festival! We always enjoy seeing everyone and spending time with our community.

🥞 Don’t forget about our Annual Pancake Breakfast!
📅 Saturday, September 19th
⏰ 0700–1100
📍 Silvercreek Township Fire Station — 28 E. Xenia St., Jamestown

Come hungry, enjoy a great breakfast, and support your local Fire/EMS department. We look forward to seeing everyone at the festival!

The Jamestown Fall Festival is just around the corner! 🍂🥞

Be sure to stop by and see Silvercreek Township Fire/EMS during the festival on September 18th and 19th. We’ll be at our booth throughout the event and would love to visit with you.

Don’t forget to join us for our Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, September 19th, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the fire station.

Bring your family, enjoy a great breakfast, and help support your local fire department. We look forward to seeing everyone during this year’s Jamestown Fall Festival! 🚒🥞🍁

08/29/2026

We enjoyed spending part of the evening at the new community center after the football game! It was wonderful visiting with community members and spending time together.

We’re always proud to be part of the community we serve! 🚒🏈

08/29/2026

🏈 It’s time for Friday Night Lights! 🚑🚒

Silvercreek Township Fire/EMS has crews standing by tonight for the Greeneview Local Schools football game, while additional crews remain ready to respond and serve our residents.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable night!

Go Rams! 🐏🏈

08/24/2026

Over the last two weekends, three of our members attended the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg to complete the Ohio 36-hour Volunteer Fire Fighter class. This grant-funded program is ideal for small and rural departments, providing cost-free training for those who want to serve their communities. With OFA focused strictly on training, it’s a rare opportunity for departments like ours to take advantage of resources that can be difficult to access locally, including dedicated training facilities and experienced instructors.

We are grateful for this program and for the training it provides to departments like ours. A big thank you to the Ohio Fire Academy and its instructors for investing their time and expertise in our members. We’re also happy to report that all three of our members successfully passed the state exam and are now certified volunteer firefighters, adding three more trained members who are ready to serve our community.

08/14/2026

Firefighters are able to breathe in smoke-filled and otherwise hazardous environments by using a piece of equipment called a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, or SCBA. You can think of it as a cousin to SCUBA diving equipment. One provides breathable air underwater; the other provides breathable air in an atmosphere that may be filled with smoke and toxic gases.

For a new firefighter, putting on an SCBA for the first time can be pretty disorienting. It’s confining, for sure, but learning to work comfortably in it is necessary to do the job safely and effectively.

A few of our guys recently practiced breathing and working in SCBA at the station during an in-house training exercise. It’s moments like these that help prepare us for the moment when it’s time to attack the fire.

08/13/2026

This evening at 5:27 pm, we were alerted of a Bomb Threat at a construction site. These are taken very seriously. After a thorough search by many agencies, nothing was found. We are thankful for our relationships of everyone who assisted in this.

Fayette County Dispatch
Fayette County Sheriff Deputies
Columbus Bomb Squad
Wright Patterson Airforce
Ohio State Fire Marshal
Silvercreek Twp Fire & EMS
Jefferson Twp Fire & EMS
Construction Site Managers and Safety Teams.

The complex was searched with 9 Bomb Sniffing Dogs.

This is still under investigation and if anyone has any information please contact the Fayette County Sheriffs Department at 740-335-6170.

08/11/2026

You never know what the day might bring.
Whether it’s sharpening our skills through resuscitation training or spotting storms during a tornado warning, we are committed to keeping our community safe.