Shawnee Twp Firefighters Local #2550

Shawnee Twp Firefighters Local #2550 IAFF Local 2550 represents the professional firefighter/paramedics of Shawnee Township. Union strong. Community proud.

We’re committed to protecting lives, property, and each other through service, strength, and solidarity.

Thank you Shawnee Township for your continued support!!
05/06/2026

Thank you Shawnee Township for your continued support!!

05/04/2026

There's been a lot of noise lately about the Shawnee Township Renewal Levy—and not all of it is accurate.
This levy is not something new or excessive.
It's a renewal that helps ensure Shawnee
Township can continue providing the level of fire and emergency services our community depends on every single day. Without it, we risk cuts that could impact response times, staffing, and overall public safety. We've all seen what happens in communities where funding falls short-services decline, and it's the residents who feel it most. We also have new township trustees in place.
They deserve the opportunity to lead, make improvements, and be part of moving Shawnee forward. But they can't do that effectively without the resources this levy provides.
Shawnee Fire works hard to protect and serve this township. This renewal helps them continue delivering the care, protection, and rapid response our families rely on.
Don't let misinformation decide the future of our community. Stay informed, think about what's at stake, and make your voice count.

Vote YES on the Shawnee Township Renewal
Levy!!!

05/04/2026

Shawnee voters,

As you prepare to vote on Tuesday, keep this quote from Benjamin Franklin in mind:

“He that speaks much, is much mistaken.”

On Tuesday, you have the opportunity to support the continuation of our current fire and EMS services by voting YES on the levy.

Thank you.

05/04/2026

“It’s $33 per $100,000…the average value of a home in Shawnee is $275,000…it comes out to about $7.50 a month”

Vote FOR the renewal levy on May 5th. It’s not a new levy, so NO NEW MONEY!

🚨 Residents — We Need Your Help 🚨There is a group actively campaigning to cut the fire department’s budget, and the impa...
04/29/2026

🚨 Residents — We Need Your Help 🚨

There is a group actively campaigning to cut the fire department’s budget, and the impact on emergency services would be immediate and significant.

Please get out and vote!

A NO vote on the renewal would slash funding, which affects staffing, response times, equipment, and the level of protection our community relies on every day.

A YES vote on the renewal does NOT raise taxes.

It simply maintains the funding that keeps your firefighters trained, equipped, and ready to respond when you need us most.

We are asking you to stand with us and protect the level of service this community deserves.

Please vote YES on the renewal on May 5th to keep our community safe.

04/20/2026

🚨Attn. Shawnee Twp Community🚨

🚒The Shawnee Twp Fire Dept **RENEWAL** LEVY is coming up May 5th.🚒

☑️This is NOT New money, this will NOT increase property taxes, please read the article below.

I have been getting A LOT of questions on this because of misinformation and mistruths being put out there, trying to sway the community in wrongful thinking!!!😕

To me that is shameful to put doubt into a community as to what this RENEWAL is all about and what the importance of it is. Please research and educate yourself and VOTE (these Spring elections are hard enough, very little community members vote)!!
😇🚒💪🏽

If you have questions ASK the proper people at the Township who will give you truthful answers, I'm sure any of the 3 trustees can answer questions, Trustee Paul Neff (he's the trustee over the FD and has been a part of Shawnee Twp FD for 38 yrs), Trustee Kenny Gross (he was a part of the original Levy committee from the start of this), FO Kevin Cooley, Fire Chief Austin Miller, I will attach their contact info below.
(For those who can't pull up the Lima News story please read)
Re:
Lima News
Home News
NewsTop Stories
Shawnee Fire seeks renewal for fire services levy
By Craig Kelly -April 17, 2026

SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — It has been on the books for 20 years, and officials at the Shawnee Township Fire Department hope that township residents will keep it going.

The department is hoping residents will renew a 1.5-mill levy for the next five years, a levy on the books since 2006. The levy, which generates approximately $552,000 annually, will support the department in maintaining its current level of service.

“That includes our Advanced Life Support services,” Fire Chief Austin Miller said, referring to the department’s ambulances and paramedics being equipped to deliver high-level care to patients before they arrive at the hospital. The levy would also fund maintenance for various fire apparatus, underwater rescue and recovery equipment and communication lines, according to the ballot language.

Being a renewal rather than a replacement levy, a yes vote would keep the department receiving the same level of funding as in previous years, representing approximately $33 generated annually for every $100,000 of property valuation.

“This is not new money,” Miller said. “There are no new taxes coming out of this.”

Amidst continued conversations about the need for a new fire station for the department, township fiscal officer Kevin Cooley said that while this levy is not earmarked to fund any new construction, it would help maintain the department’s current operations so that other funds can be set aside as a “nest egg” to set the table for eventual construction, paying for preliminary steps like land acquisition, design costs and environmental studies.

“We are setting aside about $500,000 a year,” he said. “So far, we have $1.5 million.”

Securing the levy renewal will put the department in a better position to develop a final funding strategy for the design and construction of the new station, Miller said.

Austin Miller: [email protected]>

Paul Neff: [email protected]

Kenny Gross: [email protected]

Joe Recker: [email protected]

Kevin Cooley: [email protected]

STWP phone # 419-991-8706

12/15/2025

IAFF Local 2250 is pleased to announce that all charges brought against Fire Chief Austin Miller by the Township Trustees have been officially dismissed.

We truly appreciate the overwhelming support shown over the past six months by our members, our families, and the community. This has been a difficult and trying time for our department, and that support never went unnoticed.

We are excited to welcome Chief Miller back to work and look forward to moving ahead together, focused on serving our community and rebuilding what was strained during this process.

12/14/2025

🚨 IAFF LOCAL 2550 – CALL TO ACTION 🚨

Tomorrow, Monday, December 15th at 10:00 AM, Fire Chief Austin Miller will appear before the Shawnee Township Trustees for a disciplinary hearing at the Shawnee Township Building. This will be the first time the details of the investigation are presented publicly.

We are calling on all IAFF Local 2550 members, our union brothers and sisters, and Shawnee Township residents to stand with us and show support. Your presence matters. It sends a clear message that we demand fairness, transparency, and due process.

This is about protecting the integrity of our fire department, standing up for leadership that supports the membership, and ensuring the safety of the community we serve.

📍 Shawnee Township Building
🕙 10:00 AM

Show up. Stand together. Stay united.

In Solidarity,
IAFF Local 2550

Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters

Thank you to Scott Sevitz and 3G Customs for providing lunch to the men and women working duty today. Your support means...
11/27/2025

Thank you to Scott Sevitz and 3G Customs for providing lunch to the men and women working duty today. Your support means a lot to us, and we truly appreciate it.

11/26/2025

🚨 LAME DUCK BOARD AT IT AGAIN 🚨
Please share.

It’s been one day since Trustees Ciminillo, Recker, and Spieles voted 3–0 to suspend Chief Austin Miller without pay—and they still NEVER notified him. He found out through the media.

Let that sink in.

Two of these trustees were just voted out, yet they’re rushing major decisions on their way out the door, behind closed doors, with zero transparency.

And here’s what taxpayers need to hear:

💰 The attorney fees for this are coming directly out of the FIRE BUDGET.
Money that should be going toward what YOU asked for:

✅ a new station
✅ updated equipment
✅ more staffing and safer crews

Instead, it’s being spent on lawyers in the final weeks of a board the community rejected.

Shameful.

We can’t wait for January when the new trustees take office and bring the accountability this township deserves.

Please keep Chief Miller and his family in your prayers.

IAFF Local 2550

“Enough is enough.”

Address

2526 Ft Amanda Road
Lima, OH
45804

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