Fire Department

It was my honor to be selected as the next fire chief for the City of Vermilion.  Since June, I have been getting to know the men and women that make up your fire department, and I must say, I am pleased with what we have to work with.  The members of the Vermilion Fire Department are trained in many different disciplines, with varying degrees of service time and are ready to respond, 24/7/365.

Operating from both our Douglas Street station, as well as our Overlook Road station, trained rescue personnel are strategically placed to ensure a timely and efficient response to our entire coverage area.  We are blessed to have excellent equipment, which while costly to maintain, is imperative to the operation of the department.

With the addition of a full-time fire chief, the Vermilion Fire Department can better serve our customers by being readily available to answer your questions, visit the fire station, or provide daytime programs for groups, as well as immediate emergency response.

Moving forward, look for the department to continue growing, to meet the needs of you, our customers.  We plan on more training for our personnel in the technical rescue disciplines, such as water and rope rescue, as well as an increase in management and leadership training for our fire officers. 

In closing, as I tell our personnel, my door is always open.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Chief, Bill Brown

The Vermilion Fire Department (VFD) is a combination department originally founded as a 100% volunteer department. The department has evolved from a paid per call, to a combination department, employing its first career fire chief in 2022 and approximately twenty-seven, paid per call personnel.

The Vermilion Fire Department provides fire suppression, prevention, education, emergency medical first response and a variety of special rescue operations.  The department provides service to residents of the City of Vermilion and is also signed into mutual aid agreements to accept and provide services to our neighboring communities when available.

The City of Vermilion, located partially in Erie County, and partially in Lorain County is scenically located on the southern shores of Lake Erie. The city is home to approximately 10,594 residents: occupying approximately 10.8 square miles. Additionally, Brownhelm Township is home to approximately 7,618 residents, occupying just over 40 square miles. 

Firefighters are expected to be on call and respond to emergency calls when summoned to the fire station.  The VFD utilizes the services of its members responding from two stations. The stations, and city, are separated by a heavily traveled east/west corridor of the railroad, as well as the Vermilion River, a tributary to Lake Erie. The district provides fire and rescue services for the City of Vermilion and is contractually used to cover a portion of Brownhelm Township.  Brownhelm Township is divided into three areas; and receives its emergency services from the City of Vermilion, Florence Township, and the Village of South Amherst.

The Vermilion Fire Department also provides first response services to Lifecare Ambulance.

Firefighters attend weekly meetings and on-going training.  

Station 1

Administrative Offices
1041 Douglas Street

Chief Bill Brown
Office: 440-204-2470
Cell:  440-396-2415
Fax:  440-967-3217
wbrown@cityofvermilionohio.gov

Captain Derek Kuba

dkuba@cityofvermilionohio.gov

Station 2
385 Overlook Road

Captain Brian Dunegan
bdunegan@cityofvermilionohio.gov