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What would happen in your town if the mayor just shut down the fire department—no reorganization, no restructure, no negotiation—just turned it off?

That’s essentially what residents in Hiram, Ohio woke up to: the Hiram Fire Department, including local EMS coverage, was suspended. And when emergency services disappear, even briefly, that’s not small-town drama. That’s a public safety issue.

I’m Scott Gardner, former cop, former homicide detective, and former chief of police. This platform is about accountability—especially when government decisions put the public at risk.

Here’s what raised the alarms: residents were left asking who was covering the village, with reports that surrounding departments were expected to handle calls through mutual aid. Mutual aid is common, but it’s supposed to be supplemental—not a replacement for an entire department. If you’re going to suspend fire and EMS, a clear coverage plan should already exist, and the public should be told what it is.

Then there’s the college factor. Hiram is home to Hiram College, with hundreds of students in dorms and campus buildings. During the suspension, students were messaging me asking if they even had a fire department. Whether that communication failure sits with the village or the college administration is a fair question—but students learning it through social media is a problem.

And the image that became the symbol of this situation: police cruisers parked across the fire station bay doors while services were suspended. Maybe there’s a practical explanation. If there is, I’ll air it. But the optics were terrible.

Services were later restored, but restoration doesn’t erase the need for answers. I end with three public safety questions the village still owes the
residents. ⚠️🚒📌

#TheInfamousExChief #ProCopNotProCorruption #HiramOhio #PortageCounty #GovernmentAccountability #PublicSafety #FireDepartment #EMS

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