ASHVILLE, Ohio — The Harrison Township Fire Department is defending a Sept. 11 fundraiser planned with a local sports bar after some residents raised concerns over firefighters bartending on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
In a Facebook post this week, the department said firefighters will not be bartending at the event, which is being held in partnership with Kelli Jo’s Sports Bar in Ashville. The department said Sept. 11 carries “profound meaning” for the fire service and broader public safety profession, and that the gathering is meant to bring the community together in remembrance and reflection, not celebration.
The event will serve as a fundraiser for the Harrison Township Firefighters Association, which the department said supports firefighter training, equipment and community outreach efforts. Officials said the association has had to scale back some of its traditional fundraising, including its annual Firefighter Fish Fry, because of rising costs, and is looking for new ways to raise money while staying connected with residents.
“We understand that emotions surrounding this day are strong and deeply personal,” the department said in its post. “Our goal is not to divide, but to provide a space for community connection while honoring the memory of those we lost.”
The department traces its roots to 1884, when Ashville Village Council formally organized a fire department at a meeting in the local schoolhouse, after council members approved the purchase of ladders for fire rescues the year before. It began as an all-volunteer operation before Harrison Township hired its first full-time firefighters in 1988 and added more full-time staff in 1994, when it moved to its current 24-hour shift schedule. The department, now based on state Route 752, employs three captains, three lieutenants, 12 full-time firefighters and 18 part-time firefighters serving the township.
The department said it appreciated the feedback from residents but that its commitment “remains the same: to honor the memory of those lost, to support one another, and to serve this community with professionalism and integrity.”
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Harrison Township Fire Department.
