Cheviot Fire Department
Photo Gallery



Special F.D. Rider In The Harvest Home Parade:

The Cheviot Fire Department was honored to have Grace Singler and her family riding along with us in the fire truck in the 2011 Harvest Home Parade.

Grace is 8 years old and is a first grader at St. Martin’s Elementary School.  She lives in the area and her family has deep ties to the Cheviot community.  Grace loves to dance, be outside, play with dolls and hopes to one day become a cheerleader for St. Martin’s.

In December 2009 Grace was diagnosed with Slow Response Leukemia.  She has bravely battled 1 ½ years of intensive chemotherapy treatments and is now receiving a monthly maintenance chemotherapy treatment at Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  Grace also receives daily chemotherapy medications that are administered through her NG tube.

Grace Singler is a sweet, beautiful and tough young lady that we, at the Cheviot Fire Department, greatly admire.  It was our privilege to have her and her family with us for the parade this year.

When Grace’s father, Dale Singler, was asked, “What have you and your family learned through this difficult time?”  His response was, “People are unbelievable,” and he said that his family has been helped in so many ways!

Singler at the Cheviot Fire Department prior to the Harvest Home Parade
Grace Singler along with Mayor Sam Keller and Chief and Mrs. Klein


9/11 WTC Steel Artifact And Memorial Ceremony In The Harvest Home Parade:

On August 26, 2011 a piece of steel artifact from the World Trade Center was given to the Green Township Fire Department where it will be part of a memorial remembering the tragic events which occurred in our nation on September 11, 2001.

The steel artifact was showcased near the start of the Harvest Home Parade this year.  Walking in the parade with the artifact were representatives from the Cheviot, Green Township, Miami Township and Cincinnati Fire Departments.  In addition, the Cincinnati Emerald Society and the Green Township Fire Department Honor Guard marched to pay special tribute to those who lost their lives over ten years ago.

As the steel artifact passed in front of the Cheviot Fire Department, at 3814 Harrison Avenue, the parade paused for a special ceremony.  Retired Cheviot Fire Chiefs Bill Owens and Don Clark along with Crosby Township Fire Chief Bruce Downard offered a salute and rang the fire bell ten times, one ring for each year that has past since September 2001.



Chief Klein marches along side the WTC Steel Artifact during the Harvest Home Parade
Fire Chiefs offer a salute during the memorial ceremony in front
of the Cheviot Fire Department
Members of the Cincinnati Emerald Society march in the Harvest Home Parade
Green Township Fire Department Honor Guard march in the Harvest Home Parade
Retired Fire Chiefs Bill Owens and Don Clark along with Cheviot Fire Chief Bob Klein
Newly promoted Fire Captain Scott Scherpenberg (Left) along with
long-time Engineer/Firefighter Tony Dangel just prior to the Harvest Home Parade
Matt Beahr (Left) and Mitch Frey (Right) participating in their first Harvest Home
Parade. Both Matt and Mitch were hired by the City of Cheviot as
Full-Time Firefighter/Paramedics in Febuary 2011



















Structure fire on Bridgetown Rd.

The picture above is from a structure fire in a 2½ story building that contained a foot doctor's office and two apartments. The fire started at approximately 1:45 a.m. and went undetected until 2:30 a.m. when people driving on that road smelled heavy smoke in the streets. The fire department found flames shooting out from a second story window, which ended up being a bathroom window. That bathroom is where the fire started in a medicine cabinet in which a halogen bulb had been used. The bulb overloaded the fixture and caused the blaze causing over $200,000 in damage. It took the Fire Dept. three hours to control and extinguish the fire.

We don't think the owner will be using any more halogen bulbs in his light fixtures. Halogen light bulbs tend to produce a lot more heat than regular light bulbs. Due to the heat producing effects of halogen bulbs, caution should be used when placing them, and always read the owners/operators manual on light fixtures to see if they may be used.

Fire at a home on Washington Ave.


Fire at a garage/apartment on Kenkel Ave.

The fire in the above picture shows a garage that had been converted into an apartment. Upon returning home one evening, the resident opened the front door and could smell gas. As he turned on the light switch, The gas ignited and the front wall of the structure blew off landing in the front yard. The renter was taken to the hospital with severe burns, treated and released. It was discovered during the investigation that the person renting this apartment had been using a hot water tank that had been red tagged by the utility company due to it being defective. Due to the renter turning the tank back on before having it fixed, he lost everything he owned to the fire. Also, there was an exposure (another garage in close proximity) which contained several acetylene torch cylinders that presented an additional hazard to firefighters. That exposure had water applied to for cooling purposes. The renter was lucky to he wasn't killed in this explosion.

The fire in the picture below was a van that caught on fire after the owner completed the delivery of his Sunday newspaper route. The owner parked the van and went into his house and several minutes later, spotted his van fully involved in flames. This shot may have made a good picture in the Monday newspaper.

Vehicle fire in the 3900 block of Woodbine Avenue





These photos are from an early morning accident in which a car struck a building at a high rate of speed (unknown), and the driver was fatally injured.



One of the most enjoyable parts of firefighting is teaching kids fire safety. The department has nearly 1,000 children come into the firehouse during Fire Prevention Week each October. The children learn important fire safety tips such as not hiding under the bed or in the closet if their house is on fire. They are also placed in a fire safe house the department borrows from the Green Township Fire Department in which fake smoke is pumped into. This is a good exercise for them because they can take action as if they would in a real fire situation. The simulator includes working smoke detectors and video recording equipment so the children can see how they did during the drill. Some items the children enjoy during the week are plastic fire helmets we pass out to the smaller children, Freddie the Fire Truck (a miniature remote control talking fire truck), and a tour of the firehouse. New items we are trying for the kids are pencils and suckers with messages on them. We also found that balloons with the fire department logo on them to be a big hit among the kids. Most kids really want to sit in the driver's seat of the fire trucks, so we make sure they get that chance. The pictures below are from tours of the fire house during Fire Prevention Week in October.

Kids learn fire safety in the training room of the fire dept.


The fire dept. gives tours to any groups or organizations that are interested in visiting the firehouse. We usually see several Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops each year. Seeing how much the children enjoy the tour of the firehouse makes it all worth the time we spend preparing the fire prevention program. In addition to these activities, we also have an annual fire safety poster contest. The local schools have their kids prepare a poster dealing with fire safety which are turned in to the fire department for judgment. The winners are invited to the firehouse for a pizza party and prizes are awarded such as a bicycle, smoke detectors, and gift certificates.

Chris Lakeberg takes time to show a youngster how to handle a hoseline.