BSTG Fire District

10/16/2026

The BST&G Fire District is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of former Harlem Township Fire Chief Chris Caito on Monday, October 12, 2026.

Chief Caito dedicated 48 years to serving others as a firefighter and paramedic. He spent 35 years as a full-time member of the Upper Arlington Fire Department, retiring at the rank of Battalion Chief.

Alongside his career at UAFD, Chief Caito served the Big Walnut community for 45 years. He volunteered with BST&G from 1977 to 2003, then joined Harlem Township in 2004, where he served until 2022 and spent his final years there as Fire Chief.

Those who worked alongside Chief Caito knew him as a calm, steady, and composed leader. His dedication to the fire service and his decades of service are a remarkable accomplishment, and his impact cannot be overstated. Every firefighter he worked with or taught learned from one of the best.

Rest in peace, Chief Caito. You will be deeply missed.

View Christopher "Chris" John Caito's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

10/15/2026

Please read this notice regarding 71 and the northbound exits.

10/13/2026

Hands Only CPR with our 6th Graders at Big Walnut Middle School

10/12/2026

Your Levy Questions, Answered

The quick facts:

• What's on the ballot: a 5-year levy. It renews the 4.85 mills we have now and adds 2.50 mills (7.35 mills total). First collected in 2027.

• What a homeowner pays today: $81.47 a year for every $100,000 of home value.

• What a homeowner would pay: $168.97 a year for every $100,000 of home value. Since you already pay $81.47 per $100,000, the only new cost is the 2.50 mill increase.

• The real increase: $87.50 a year (about $7.29 a month) for every $100,000 of home value.

• Why does the ballot say $176: that number is the cost before state tax credits that homeowners get. After those credits, a home you live in pays $168.97 per $100,000.

Please see the attached images for answers to some of the questions we have received.

https://bstgfire.org/2026-fire-levy

Serving Berkshire Twp. | City of Sunbury | Trenton Twp. | Village of Galena

ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026

10/09/2026

We ended our Fire Safety Week at General Rosecrans Elementary.

10/07/2026

Spending the morning with our friends at Sunbury Sonshine Preschool for 2026 Fire Prevention Week!!

10/06/2026

“Charge Into Fire Safety. “

Fire Prevention Week (October 4–10, 2026) focuses on the everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires and keep homes and communities safer.

10/05/2026

An awesome kickoff to Fire Prevention Week at Prairie Run Elementary today!!

10/05/2026

Before the Board put anything on the ballot, the Fire District secured over $2.5 million in competitive grants. Here is what that bought, and why some of it runs out.

Since 2019:
● 2024 SAFER grant
○ $2,042,478 to hire six full-time firefighters for Station 352.
○ SAFER is among the most competitive federal fire grants in the country.

● 2019 and 2021 AFG grants
○ $407,913 for a complete SCBA air pack replacement, new cutting-edge technical rescue equipment, and training.

● BWC grants
○ $65,832 for firefighter health and safety equipment.

Total: $2,516,223 that local taxpayers did not have to pay.

Here is the catch with SAFER. It is a three-year grant, and the federal share shrinks every year before it stops entirely. Years one and two, the federal government covers 75%. Year three, 35%. After that, the district pays all of it.

Departments across the country reach that point every year, and the outcomes are consistent: layoffs, station brownouts, or station closures. Having funding in place before the grant expires is what avoids the funding and staffing gap.

One more thing about growth. Many of the new residential, multi-family, and commercial developments across our four communities sit inside TIF agreements. Tax Increment Financing redirects much of the increased value from new construction into infrastructure funds rather than to the taxing districts.

BST&G responds to every call and inspects every building in those developments while receiving little or none of their new property tax value. Growth adds to the workload. Under TIFs and HB920, it adds only a fraction of the funding that workload requires.

https://bstgfire.org/2026-fire-levy

Serving Berkshire Twp. | City of Sunbury | Trenton Twp. | Village of Galena

ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026

09/28/2026

In 2024, residents voted to build Station 352. It opened on May 19, 2026.

Here is the part that surprises most people: a bond issue pays for a building, not for the people inside it.

Those are two legally separate pots of money. Bond dollars can only be spent on construction; they cannot pay a firefighter's salary or operating costs. The operating levy on this November's ballot is what keeps crews inside Station 352 around the clock.

What the new revenue would fund:
● Secures round-the-clock staffing at Station 352
● Sustaining the six firefighters hired under the 2024 SAFER grant when that federal funding ends
● NFPA-compliant staffing on all three 24-hour shifts
● Apparatus replacement at current market prices
● A possible ISO rating improvement, which can reduce homeowner insurance premiums district-wide

Two things worth knowing about how this fire district is built. One department serves all four communities (one command structure, one training program, one apparatus fleet, one budget) rather than Berkshire, Sunbury, Trenton, and Galena each funding their own. Plus, a fire district levy can legally fund only us. It cannot be redirected to roads, parks, or any other purpose.

Station 352 is also a shared building. It houses Delaware County EMS (Medic 11) alongside our crews; one operational hub instead of two serving the same growing area.

BST&G provides Fire, Rescue, and EMS First Response, often arriving first and starting care, while Delaware County EMS handles ongoing patient care and transport. Your levy never pays to duplicate an ambulance service, or a second building to run it from.

https://bstgfire.org/2026-fire-levy

Serving Berkshire Twp. | City of Sunbury | Trenton Twp. | Village of Galena

ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026