Officer-in-Charge: Assistant Chief Christopher Craig

christopher.craig@worthington.org

Our Emergency Response Philosophy

At Worthington Fire & EMS, we constantly remind ourselves what it is like to be on the receiving end of an emergency call. We strive to get out the door, on the road, and on-scene in a rapid but efficient and safe manner. Sometimes these response times are lengthened when we are at other emergency scenes and your call comes in, but we are fortunate to have a cohesive system of mutual-aid in the central Ohio area. Although most calls of this nature involve close resources like Columbus and Westerville, we literally can reach out to and beyond the boundaries of Franklin County.

We also recognize that emergency response does not start at the 9-1-1 call. Rather, it actually begins at the planning and readiness stage by addressing areas such as training, equipment, hydrant readiness, and building familiarization. Conversely, we are aware that the post-incident period brings with it the need for professional and empathetic salvage and overhaul of your possessions, maintenance and restocking of our equipment and expended supplies, and attention to the physical and mental health needs of our personnel. 

Finally, as part of our country's fire service as a whole, we have experienced the evolution of the "fire" department to an "all-hazards" response resource. This was most dramatically exemplified by the integration of paramedic-level service in the 1970s, followed by improvements in the areas of hazardous materials response, technical rescue, and disaster response. The complications of these types of emergencies are mitigated by the overarching principles of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).