UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Union Township Fire Department promoted a firefighter to lieutenant, welcomed a new full-time firefighter/paramedic and recognized five more members for a combined 70 years of service during this week’s township Board of Trustees meeting, the department said in a Facebook post.
Ryan Passet was promoted to lieutenant, and Chase Porter was hired as a full-time firefighter/paramedic, the department said.
The department also honored three members for 20 years of service — Capt. Steve Guth, Lt. Shaun Honnert and Chuck Hyden — along with Steve Mohr and Jim Ledford for five years of service each.
“Congratulations to all,” the department said in its post.
Union Township Fire traces its roots to two volunteer departments, the Withamsville Fire Department and the North Union Fire Department, founded in 1942 and 1956, respectively. The two merged in 1990 to form the Union Township Fire Department under the township’s board of trustees, with Ray Rumpke serving as its first chief.
The department has since grown to five stations covering the township around the clock, providing fire suppression, paramedic-level emergency medical service, fire inspections, plan reviews and public safety education alongside its emergency response duties. Austin Clements was appointed fire chief in February 2024 after rising through the department’s ranks, including a stint as lieutenant, since joining as a firefighter/paramedic in 2015.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Union Township Fire Department.