Latest news with #NationalFirstRespondersDay
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New first responders' wellness center gains financial support
POLAND TWP., Ohio (WKBN) — Poland Township has partnered with Boardman in support of a new wellness center for Mahoning County first responders. Poland Township Board of Trustees Chairman Eric Ungaro announced Thursday they've partnered with Boardman Township in providing financial support to the wellness center. The Clarence R. Smith, Mahoning Valley First Responders Wellness Center will provide a centralized space to support the mental health of police, fire, EMS and dispatch personnel. 'This partnership reflects our deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by first responders and their families,' said Poland Township police Chief Greg Wilson. 'By joining forces with Boardman Township, we are taking a proactive step in ensuring that those who protect and serve our communities receive the support they deserve.' The center will serve the 58 responder agencies in Mahoning County and, eventually, agencies in Trumbull and Columbiana counties as well. The goal is to have the center up and running by National First Responders Day on Oct. 24. The financial contribution from Poland Township will help expand the center's services, enhance outreach efforts, and ensure that first responders have access to specialized care. The collaboration sets a precedent for other local governments, fostering a regional commitment to first responder wellness, according to a release from the township. The center is named after Clarence Smith, who donated the property to the township upon his death. Abigail Cloutier contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two years ago, Rochester first responders saved Jeff Zeiger's life. He wants to honor their life-saving work
Apr. 24—ROCHESTER — In October 2023, Rochester resident Jeff Zeiger suffered cardiac arrest while strolling along the bike path of Cascade Lake in northwest Rochester. Zeiger was lucky. The vast majority of people die from such cardiac events when they occur outside a hospital setting. If not for a woman who was walking behind him and who began immediately to administer CPR and the work of firefighters whose station was not half a mile away, Zieger would not be with us today. Zeiger's heart was shocked back to life. And so, Zeiger feels grateful. He's not stopped feeling grateful. So much so that Zeiger wants a memorial bench installed near the spot where he almost died as a way of honoring the work of first responders. The work of first responders is taken for granted, he said. "I'm trying to bring visibility and gratitude to the first responders in our city and elsewhere to make people more aware of what they do," Zeiger said. "They run into freaking buildings that are on fire when you and I run the other way." The bench Zeiger has in mind would be located on the south side of Cascade Lake, near the fishing pier. First responders are unsung heroes, he said. He would like them to be a little less unsung. It would join other memorial benches that dot the 2.4-mile loop. Zeiger, a retired university professor, imagines the 5-inch-by-10-inch plaque inscribed with a simple statement of dedication to the work first responders do. The language would be general. It would not specifically mention that they saved Zeiger's life. The focus would be on first responders, not on him. It would cost an estimated $3,200 to purchase and install a memorial bench. So far, $415 has been raised on a GoFundMe site . Zeiger would love a dedication ceremony for the bench to be held on Oct. 28, a date that has special meaning for him. It was the day on which Rochester first responders saved his life. It is also, coincidentally enough, the day when National First Responders Day is celebrated. "Isn't that crazy," Zeiger said.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New wellness center to support local first responders
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — Mahoning County is getting a new wellness center to support first responders. The Clarence R. Smith Mahoning Valley First Responder Wellness Center was announced at the Boardman Township Trustees meeting Monday. It will provide a centralized space to support the mental health of police, fire, EMS, and dispatch personnel. 'It's a very unique property that's kind of a stand-alone, very quiet,' said Boardman Police Chief Todd Werth. The new wellness center property sits tucked away on Raupp Avenue in Boardman and township trustees have dedicated $253,000 dollars to fixing the place up. It will eventually provide a centralized space for wellness training, education and mental health care. 'First responders are very hesitant to seek help themselves. Again, they're in the business of helping other people, so this is an opportunity to kind of proactively work with first responders ahead of time and try to address issues before they become issues,' Chief Werth said. The location will serve the 58 responder agencies in Mahoning County and eventually support agencies in Trumbull and Columbiana counties as well. Chief Werth hopes it will serve as a bridge between existing programs and first responders and their families. 'All the agencies in Mahoning County that already do a phenomenal job providing support, we're going to be able to leverage them by having them at the center,' Chief Werth said. Mahoning County commissioners also committed $464,000 of opioid settlement funds to complete phase one of the project and a nonprofit is being established to run the facility. 'We couldn't have done it without the Mahoning County Commissioners' help. They've donated a large portion to begin this project and we're just very excited to get started and provide a center,' said trustee Steve Yacovone. 'This is another arm that actually will benefit the citizens out in the street because our responders will be more rested, taken care of and being able to address the things they need to address,' said Mahoning County Administrator Audrey Tillis. The center is named after Clarence Smith, who donated the property to the township upon his death. 'I think it's just fitting- that was a house that he lived in, the property that he donated – that we named it after him for the wellness center,' Chief Werth said. Chief Werth said he hopes to have the center up and running by National First Responders Day on Oct. 24. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
