4/22/2026
The Village of Dalton always values and appreciates the efforts of community partners who dedicate their time and energy to support Dalton residents. It is more than unfortunate that the Dalton Firefighters Association chose not to support the Village of Dalton, contrary to their purpose they were created for on 4/2/2025 per their filing with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. To the knowledge of the Village of Dalton, there has been only one fire department in existence serving the Village of Dalton since the Firefighters Association’s inception, but the Village’s fire department received no donation from them.
The Village of Dalton feels it is important to set the record straight with facts. The Firefighters Association approached the Village last year with an offer. However, that offer was not for donation rather for a long-term lease, meaning the Association desired to receive compensation in exchange. At that time, the Village of Dalton did not intend to take on that lease opportunity which was communicated to the Firefighters Association. Then the Association turned around and changed the lease offer to a donation offer. As a response, the Village of Dalton asked the Association to submit any donation proposals through its proper channels, the Safety Committee and the Village Council, for a proper public discussion as is expected from any public entity being a good steward of public property.
Sadly, after communicating that to the Firefighters Association, the Village of Dalton never heard back from the Association. This was preceded by the Village’s request to the Association to avoid using the Village’s Fire Department’s public property without making distinction between their entities: a department of a political subdivision of the State of Ohio and an independent non-profit association to avoid confusion for Dalton’s residents as they were entitled to know where their support went when they donated money. The Village of Dalton cannot emphasize enough how important roles non-profit organizations play if they enhance the quality of life of that community they were created for.
Finally, the Village wishes to clarify that there are no current employees or volunteers of the Dalton Fire Department that were ever members of the Dalton Firefighters Association. Our top priority remains providing high-quality emergency services while protecting the financial interests of our taxpayers.