Leesville Volunteer Fire Department

02/28/2026

No open burning, beginning tomorrow.

02/05/2026

🚨 Removing Property Taxes in Ohio Would Shut Down Rural Volunteer Fire Departments

This isn’t politics. It’s public safety.

Across rural Ohio, property taxes are the backbone of volunteer fire departments. Eliminating them would strip away the primary, stable funding that keeps stations open, trucks running, and firefighters trained.

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🔥 Why Property Taxes Matter

Property taxes fund:
• 🚒 Fire engines, tankers, and brush trucks
• 🧯 Protective gear (turnout gear, SCBA, helmets)
• 📟 Dispatching and communications
• 🏥 Medical equipment & EMS response
• 🛠️ Station utilities, insurance, and maintenance
• 🎓 Training and certifications

For many rural departments, there is no alternative revenue source that can replace this funding.

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🧑‍🚒 Volunteer ≠ Free

Volunteer firefighters:
• Receive little or no pay
• Still require expensive equipment and training
• Must meet state and federal safety standards

Removing funding doesn’t reduce costs—it eliminates the ability to respond.

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🏘️ What Happens If Property Taxes Are Removed?

❌ Fire stations close
❌ Apparatus sits unused or gets sold
❌ Insurance ratings skyrocket
❌ Homeowners’ insurance premiums increase
❌ Longer response times—or no response at all
❌ Communities rely on distant departments already stretched thin

In many rural areas, there is no nearby paid department to step in.

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💰 Fundraisers Can’t Replace Tax Revenue

Chicken dinners, raffles, and donations:
• Are unreliable and inconsistent
• Depend on the same residents already being taxed
• Cannot fund six-figure fire apparatus or lifesaving equipment

You cannot fund emergency services with bake sales.

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⏱️ Minutes Matter

In fires and medical emergencies:
• Every minute of delay increases death and property loss
• Longer travel distances mean worse outcomes
• Closed departments mean no immediate help

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⚠️ The Bottom Line

Removing property taxes in Ohio would not save rural communities—it would end them.

No funding = no fire department
No fire department = no protection
No protection = higher losses, higher insurance, and higher risk to life

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🗣️ Protect Rural Ohio

Before eliminating property taxes, ask:
Who will answer the call when your house, farm, or family needs help?

Support sustainable funding for volunteer fire departments.
Public safety depends on it.

01/25/2026

To all Carroll County residents, you have the best people out in the storm working to get us back to normal. If you see them, give them room to work and give them thanks, they deserve it!

06/15/2025

Wishing a Happy Father’s Day to all of our amazing Dad’s!

05/27/2025

Last week Asst. Chief Flaherty brought our engine to the Conotton Valley Preschool Carnival and Touch A Truck Event. Kids were able to see our fire engine and were given a tour of the inside and our equipment.

05/27/2025

Leesville Fire & Rescue proudly supports our Conotton Valley Elementary PTO’s Field Day. Today the kids got to meet our first responders, see our emergency response vehicle and equipment, received coloring activity books on summer safety, and our EMS personnel even fixed a few boo-boo’s and ouchies.

05/26/2025

🚨 Big News: We Have a New Name! 🚨
Same mission. Same team. Stronger identity. Bigger reach.

What began as a local search and rescue unit within a small-town fire department has grown into a nationally capable nonprofit on the front lines of critical incidents. As we expanded our reach—responding to disasters regionally and nationally and forming lasting partnerships with agencies across the country—it became clear our name needed to reflect the scope and unity of our mission.

We’re proud to announce that Dellroy Fire Search and Rescue is now officially Unified Fire Search and Rescue.

Our new name reflects more than just growth—it represents a commitment:
To serve locally, regionally, and nationwide.
To deliver exceptional search, rescue, and recovery services.
To stand unified with fire departments, law enforcement, and government agencies across the country when lives are on the line.

Whether it’s deploying K-9 teams for recovery missions, supporting emergency operations in disaster zones, or training alongside fellow responders, we bring precision, compassion, and professionalism to every call.

This name change honors where we started and defines where we’re headed. We’re more than a name—we’re a mission:
Unified to serve. Unified to respond. Unified to bring them home.

💥 Please LIKE, SHARE, and COMMENT to help spread the word!
Your support helps us reach more communities, assist more families, and strengthen emergency response across the nation.

05/21/2025

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for Carroll County until 8pm.

05/18/2025

Happy EMS week to all medical first responders!

05/11/2025

05/09/2025

Come see our new apparatus in the annual Memorial Day Parade and meet our new members, juniors, and officers!