On the evening of Monday, October 5, the Bluffton Fire Department was dispatched to SRK Industries on Snider Rd. for a reported fire alarm. Chief Jon Kinn provided the following details.
"The first arriving units found heavy smoke coming from the north end of the facility. Mutual aid was requested from both the Beaverdam-Richland Fire Department and Southwest Hancock Joint Fire District.
Police Chief Ryan Burkholder has issued the Bluffton Police Department activity summary for August 2026. With 672 total calls for service, the department conducted 34 traffic stops and responded to 6 criminal complaints, including 1 no operator's license, 1 domestic violence, 1 fraud, 1 assault, 1 miscellaneous, and 1 warrant.
The Bluffton Fire and EMS departments recently took a test drive with the equipment commonly known as the "jaws of life" at OEM Auto Recyclers. With a joint interest in speed and safety, volunteer firefighters peeled away components of the vehicle that would help them extricate a hypothetical passenger.
Fire Chief Jon Kinn and EMS Chief Noah Babcock noted variables to be considered. What is the status of the patient? Is smoke present? Could the airbags unexpectedly deploy? Can seats be moved before the battery is disengaged?
MEDIA RELEASE__On September 25, 2026, at approximately 2:52 p.m., troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Lima Post were dispatched to a reported injury crash, with ejection, that occurred at the intersection of State Route 117 and Grubb Road in Amanda Township, Allen County.
MEDIA RELEASE__Trooper Richard E. Donovan, Polygraph Unit, was promoted to the rank of sergeant on June 28 and was recognized on Sept. 14 by Colonel Charles A. Jones, Patrol superintendent, during a ceremony at the Patrol’s Training Academy. Sergeant Donovan transferred from his previous assignment in the Polygraph Unit to serve as assistant post commander at the Findlay District Investigations.
