https://www.columbus.gov/Services/Public-Safety/Fire

Columbus Division of Fire, 3675 Parsons Avenue, Columbus, OH (2026)

06/05/2026

Columbus Fire, along with Prairie Township and Franklin Township crews, responded to a fire at Lake Eden Apartments on the city’s west side Friday afternoon. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

06/05/2026

On Wednesday, June 3, Columbus Fire team members visited Horton Emergency Vehicles in Grove City to conduct final inspections of the updated Dive and Rescue Team (DART) vehicle. The original 2013 International MV series chassis was replaced with a new Ford F550 chassis, which now includes four-wheel drive to improve access to remote waterways for DART members. The vehicle also received a fresh paint job. The rechassis project cost $188,016 and was funded by the 2024 Heavy Fire Capital Fund. Columbus Fire plans to deploy the vehicle by the end of the month.

06/04/2026

Congratulations to Columbus Firefighter Matthew Lamparyk on receiving the Work of Excellence award from American Legion Post 144.

Lamparyk has been a consistent presence at Fire Station 22 and is deeply dedicated to the South End of Columbus. Lamparyk is ever diligent in his approach to the service he provides both as a paramedic and a firefighter. As a paramedic instructor, Lamparyk excels at training other members within the firehouse on practical and proficient EMS care. As a firefighter, he is consistently training with all the members of Station 22 in the performance of their sworn duties and essential skills.

On a personal level, Lamparyk is and has been the kind of person others want to be around. He is even-keeled, cool headed, and has demonstrated his patience and understanding for the citizens each and every day, but especially during difficult times. No matter how busy or stressful the day, Lamparyk is an example to those around him and those that work with him are better for it.

06/03/2026

Six rescue technicians from the Columbus Division of Fire recently completed a challenging three-week evaluation process for in-charge rescue roles. Throughout the program, each firefighter had to demonstrate leadership across a wide range of technical rescue scenarios, including rope rescue, swift water, trench, confined space, extrication, and structural collapse. We are proud of their commitment, skill, and dedication to serving our community at the highest level.

06/02/2026

Last October, Medic 6 and Engine 6 were dispatched to a reported shooting near Beechcroft High School, where crews found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds. One of those victims was Kwabena Asare. On Thursday, May 28, Asare returned to Station 6 to meet some of the firefighters who helped save his life that night.

The reunion was made possible through the VOICE (Violence Outreach, Intervention, Community Engagement) “Meet Your First Responder” initiative. VOICE is a collaborative effort between Columbus Public Health and Columbus Recreation and Parks aimed at connecting victims of violence to needed medical, clinical and community social service programs and assistant in overall recovery.

The “Meet Your First Responder” program was spearheaded by VOICE Community Clinical Counselor Jessica Jessberger. Through her work with clients navigating both physical and emotional recovery, Jessberger recognized the value of helping survivors reconnect with the people who played a critical role in their rescue and care.

During his visit, Asare was able to reconnect with Station 6’s Lt. David Wallstrum, Lt. Jeffrey Blair and Firefighter Montell Cupe, all of whom were there the night he was shot. For the firefighters, the meeting offered a chance to see the impact of their work beyond the emergency call.

Cupe, who rode with Asare in the back of the medic on the way to the hospital, recalled trying to keep the teenager calm. “He may not remember, but I was back there laughing and joking with him to make him feel a little bit better about the situation,” Cupe said. Despite being shot, Asare said he was focused on whether he would be able to return to the football field the following week for Beechcroft’s rivalry game against Northland.

“I asked him if I could come next week and play football,” Asare said. “It was the last game, it was a rivalry game, so I had to ask.”

Asare was presented with a Station 6 challenge coin and given a tour of the station by Lt. Wallstrum, a fellow Beechcroft Cougar.

Looking ahead, Asare has a promising future. He will attend Otterbein University on a full academic scholarship where he will study engineering and hopes to continue playing football there.

Asare had a message for the firefighters who cared for him that night. “Thank you for taking care of me,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t arrived.”

06/01/2026

On Thursday, May 28, members of the Columbus Division of Fire’s K9 unit joined Pilot Dogs to mark the completion of the organization’s newly expanded campus.

The community was invited to attend an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Franklinton campus. During the ceremony, Columbus Firefighter, K9 trainer Dennis Hammond spoke about the close relationship between the division and Pilot Dogs. After the ribbon cutting, Columbus Fire explosive detection dogs Newt and Norbert, along with their handlers, firefighters Scott Daly and Elizabeth Finnegan, demonstrated their skills for those in attendance.

Some dogs that begin training in the Pilot Dogs program ultimately prove to be a better fit for another kind of service. In some cases, the same energy and drive that can make a dog less suitable for guide work can become a major asset in explosive or accelerant detection. This has created a wonderful partnership between the two organizations, giving several dogs a new career path.

Before partnering with Pilot Dogs, Hammond said he traveled around the country searching for Labrador retrievers with the right traits for the Columbus Fire K9 unit. Today, three dogs that jokingly “made a career pivot” from Pilot Dogs to the fire division are Kora, Newt and Norbert. Hammond said he has trained a total of eight former Pilot Dogs. The other five are now serving in the Ohio Fire Marshal’s K9 unit and with other first responder agencies around the state.

Hammond said the partnership has been especially valuable because of the opportunities it creates to evaluate dogs in realistic and demanding environments. “The work they do here is incredible,” Hammond said. “When it comes to dogs, we do a separate section of environmental training, we take them into fire scenes. For Jim (Jim Alloway, CEO of Pilot Dogs Inc.) to allow people to bring dogs to live fire scenes for me to test these dogs under the greatest stressors I can test them, and then I can accept that dog into our program is unmeasurable to us. So, I would just like to say thank you to him, thank you to everybody here.”

Founded in 1950, Pilot Dogs helps people with visual impairment gain greater independence through guide dogs and training. Robert Weigand, a Pilot Dogs client, said the organization’s impact reaches beyond fundraising or dog training alone. “Pilot Dogs is not only an organization that raises money to produce guide dogs for blind people, this is an organization that changes lives. It makes lives better,” Weigand said. “Being a blind person is hard, there's no getting around it. It's a rough way to go. Being a dog handler is not an easy thing either. It takes a lot of time and energy and work but being a blind person with a dog is a lot better than being a blind person without a dog, and it’s all thanks to Pilot Dogs.”

05/29/2026

Today, the Columbus Division of Fire proudly celebrated the graduation of 23 firefighters from paramedic school. These 23 men and women successfully passed the State of Ohio Paramedic Certification Exam and now step into a new level of responsibility and leadership within the Division of Fire.

Since beginning the program last September, the new medics endured approximately 1200 hours of classroom and clinical time, administered around 1600 IVs, responded to about 3000 EMS runs, and answered nearly 1200 test questions.

Nearly 85% of all Columbus Fire calls for service require emergency medical services, and paramedics play a critical role in answering those calls. As advanced providers of emergency medical care, paramedics receive extensive education in anatomy and physiology, cardiology, medications, and lifesaving medical procedures. Building on their EMT training, they gain advanced skills such as administering medications, starting IVs, managing advanced airways, and resuscitating patients experiencing serious medical emergencies, including heart attacks and traumatic injuries.

Please join us in congratulating Columbus Division of Fire’s newest paramedics: Laura Clark, Katie Cremar, Austin Duty, Caclan Ecos, Barry Eley, Michael Erney, Timothy Grant, Delmund Hardimon, Clayton Howard, Cody Jenkins, Jonathan Lally, Nathan Larmee, Ryan Manny, Alexander Meister, Robert Mitchell, William Pack, Joshua Pleasant, Clayton Powell, Hassan Roberts, Max Sauer, David Stauder, Chad Townsend, and Christopher Winterhoff. Special recognition goes to David Stauder, valedictorian and class speaker; Nathan Larmee, salutatorian; and Clayton Howard, recipient of the James B. Evans Leadership Award. Congratulations to all on this outstanding achievement!

05/29/2026

Columbus Division of Fire Paramedic Graduation Ceremony.

May 29, 2026

05/28/2026

Firefighters James Honeywood, Tyler Evans, Luke Randle, Devon Lee, Kyle Sigman and Lt. Dallas Barnard of Station 16 were recognized Tuesday, May 26, by the Riverside Methodist Hospital Emergency Department as the EMS Department of the Month for March, an honor awarded for their response to a stroke patient.

The crew was nominated for the award by Abby Johnson, BSN, RN. In her nomination letter, Johnson wrote- “Their report was spotless…They also gave a specific last known well and past medical history of the patient. Medic 16 helped nursing staff in CT transfer the patient to a stroke bed for a bed weight and again to the CT table.” She added, “Medic 16 did a phenomenal job of identifying the symptoms of a stroke and relaying it to RMH thoroughly and in a timely manner. You helped save a life!”

Brandi Wall, clinical outcomes manager for stroke care at Riverside, echoed that praise and said the crew’s detailed report helped speed treatment once the patient arrived at the hospital. “There was a significant medical history, last known well. All of the interventions that you do prior to getting them to the hospital really significantly impacts the time that it takes to get the patient for interventions. So, just super appreciative of that work, it can be challenging.”

Congratulations to Medic and Engine 16 on a job well done.

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Columbus Division of Fire Recruit Class 124 Blue Company on completing their second live burn!

Last Thursday, the recruits trained in the multilevel burn building at the Ohio Fire Academy, sharpening critical skills such as nozzle control and advancing the hose line.

124 Blue Company will soon begin the ladder operation portion of the academy.

Columbus Division of Fire

06/05/2026

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06/04/2026

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

05/29/2026

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