MADISON TOWNSHIP — A Madison Township firefighter with a decade of service will soon switch locations for a full-time role in Shelby.

Fire Chief Kenneth Justus announced Jerrod Senter’s resignation during Monday night’s Madison Township trustee meeting.

Justus also highlighted an upcoming training course and confirmed new heart monitors will go into service by week’s end.

Senter, who has served with Madison Township since 2015, will leave to work full time for the Shelby Fire Department.

“His resignation will be effective March 14,” Justus said.

The department will host a wildland fire suppression course March 7 at Fire Station No. 1. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will teach the course, which is open to departments across the area.

“It’s being taught by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and is open to all the departments in the area,” Justus said.

New Lifepak monitors ready for service

Justus updated trustees on new emergency medical equipment. Crews have assembled the Lifepak 35 heart monitors and completed all programming.

“We are training this week, each day and at the end of the week they are going in service,” he said.

Trustees approved the Lifepak 35 monitors after multiple discussions about the department’s needs. The new monitors offer enhanced cardiac monitoring capabilities, including 15-lead readings that provide views of both the front and back of the heart.

The department’s previous equipment could not capture those additional views. Justus noted the expanded capability will help crews better assess heart patients in the field and make faster treatment decisions.

The original projected total for the Lifepak heart monitors and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) was $222,328, but the approved purchase came in at $217,117.24.

The reduced cost came after a new offer from Stryker. 

In a township meeting mid-December, Justus said a Stryker salesman offered a $5,000 discount if the township signed a purchase agreement before Dec. 29.

The purchase included three new heart monitors, three AEDs for emergency vehicles and additional AED units for township buildings.

The new monitors will replace aging Zoll units with 10 to 12 years of service, exceeding the manufacturer’s recommended lifespan of eight years.