Support Your Chagrin Valley Fire Department
CVFD has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to keep you and your neighbors safe.
Now, we need your help.
CVFD Benefit Gala Update
Our Chagrin Valley Fire Department Benefit Gala has been rescheduled due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions.
Additional details coming soon.
When
seconds count
Our planned update will shave about 30 seconds off our response time.
And in the case of a fire, a few seconds can change everything.
30
SECONDS
Flames can
double in size
5
MINUTES
A home can be
engulfed in flames
6
MINUTES
Time a person can
go without oxygen
When seconds count, it’s vital that our station meets the needs of our first responders. We haven’t renovated in over 18 years, and had we built the firehouse today, we’d be out of compliance. Help us raise money for these mission-critical modernizations:
COVID-19
CHALLENGES
Throughout the pandemic, CVFD has continued to put your health and safety ahead of their own in the face of growing risks and uncertainty. Social distancing and safety precautions required to battle COVID-19 exacerbated existing challenges, making the need for mission-critical facility updates undeniable.
CARCINOGEN
MITIGATION
IMPROVEMENTS
When we go to work, we often bring dangerous carcinogens on our clothes back to the place in which we live. Although we do as much as we can to diminish the risk of exposure to cancer-causing toxins, our firehouse has physical limitations that prevent us from having a completely safe environment.
ACCOMMODATIONS
FOR FEMALE
FIREFIGHTERS
We currently have four female firefighters on staff, and a growing number of female applicants. When the station was last renovated 18 years ago, accommodations for women weren’t taken into consideration. We need to build designated showers and locker rooms for our female firefighters.
REDESIGNED
ACCESS TO
APPARATUS BAYS
When the station was originally built, there was no need for quick access to the apparatus bays because all firefighters were volunteers reporting to calls from home—no one slept at the station. Today, the area serves as our dormitory space, and creating a new, direct pathway to the apparatus bays is critical to our response time.
We’ve been fighting fires in the Chagrin Valley area since 1897. Today we’re led by Fire Chief Frank Zugan, serving Bentleyville, Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls Township, Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills and South Russell communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my donation tax deductible?
The Chagrin Valley Fire Department is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your contribution is fully tax deductible.
Have you sought other funding sources?
We applied and received a federal grant for $74,000, which was used to install a diesel particulate removal system in the fire station to reduce cancer risk to our firefighters. A generous Chagrin Falls Township resident provided funds to build the Safety Forces Wellness Center adjacent to the fire station.
Isn’t the fire department operated by the village government?
No. The villages of South Russell, Moreland Hills, Hunting Valley, Bentleyville, and Chagrin Falls Township contract with the Chagrin Valley Fire Department to provide Fire Protection and EMS services to their communities. The Village of Chagrin Falls contracts only for EMS services.
Why is this needed now?
The need for staffing of the Fire Department has grown with greater call volumes each year. We have outgrown our current space with only two 10 x 10 bedrooms for the four firefighters on duty 24 hours per day. This also creates challenges for the female firefighters on the crew. These renovations will also add two bedrooms, a new kitchen, showers, bathrooms, storage, and locker space. Our updated classroom space will be used for community CPR classes, child fire safety education, EMS training and daily meetings.
Why do we need your support?
Your CVFD fire protection and EMS services are funded through respective community contracts – a system that allows your per capita cost to remain the lowest in the Valley. This funding pays for on-duty personnel, maintenance, and emergency vehicles. Unfortunately, it does not cover large brick and mortar capital projects.
Due to the critical funding priorities facing our local communities at this unprecedented time, we are reaching out to you, the people we serve, to help us complete these important projects. We’ve done our part to begin chipping away at this goal with help from generous friends in these communities, local companies, and grants. But without the support of every resident, we won’t be successful.
Instead of increasing contract costs, we’re simply asking area corporations, foundations, families, and individuals to come together for a safer and healthier Chagrin Valley by way of one-time tax-deductible donations.