Officials are figuring out how to help out an Ohio fire department that came to the aid of area flood victims in August.
When water rose to dangerous levels Aug. 12 in Wayne County, the Bradford (Ohio) Fire Department did not hesitate to cross the state line and perform water rescues even without a formal agreement between Wayne and Darke counties about providing mutual aid during emergencies.
Bradford’s swift-water rescue team lost its inflatable boat working in the rural Webster area, according to Matthew Cain, director of Wayne County Emergency Management Agency. Cain told county commissioners during their Nov. 4 meeting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is requiring a mutual aid agreement on file before reimbursing the fire department for its hours worked and the lost boat.
Cain presented commissioners with an agreement similar to one approved six years ago with Ohio’s Preble County. Commissioners unanimously approved the agreement a week after Darke County commissioners voted their approval.
Cain said Darke County was not prepared to enter an agreement when Preble did; however, he approached the county again because of FEMA’s requirement. Wayne County also has a mutual aid agreement with the Hollansburg (Ohio) Fire Department, which crosses the border to cover territory in Franklin Township.
Office hours
Commissioners unanimously voted that county offices in the Wayne County Administration Building, courthouse and health department will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A survey showed varying public hours among departments, with most closing to the public at 4:30 p.m. Commissioners sought consistency for residents conducting county business.
The vote does not include the jail, highway department or fairgrounds.
A version of this article appeared in the November 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
