Holmes County EMA Director Jason Troyer pushes training, collaboration efforts

When storms, crashes or a major call tie up roads in Holmes County, Jason Troyer’s job reaches beyond paperwork at the EMA office. His years in local EMS and fire service now sit at the center of how the county prepares, communicates and recovers when residents need help fast.

Troyer became Holmes County Emergency Management Agency director in early December 2021 after working for Hummel Group Insurance in Orrville and serving on the East Holmes Fire and EMS side. At the time, he said he had been involved in EMS for 25 years. East Holmes Fire & EMS still lists him as captain on the EMS side, serving since Sept. 27, 2017, a background that gives him street-level experience as well as a countywide management role.

That experience has helped push a broader training and collaboration agenda. The Holmes County EMA says its mission is to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, and Troyer has been one of the most visible faces of that work. In January 2025, the Emergency Management Association of Ohio listed him as president-elect for Holmes County, a sign that his influence now extends into statewide emergency management circles.

His focus has stayed practical. In March 2024, while county leaders were planning for the solar eclipse, Troyer said the biggest concern was keeping roadways open so emergency responders could reach calls. He also said the new MARCS radio system would improve interoperability across agencies and counties, especially after East Holmes had long been the only department on Turbo and radios sometimes had to be loaned out. For residents, that kind of communication upgrade can mean less confusion when multiple departments are working the same scene.

Troyer also helped lead a Holmes County Local Emergency Planning Committee functional exercise on May 31, 2025, at Crow Works in Killbuck, part of a broader push to make sure agencies can work together before a real emergency exposes gaps. The county’s emergency alert system, WENS, remains another tool for countywide notifications.

The county’s hazard mitigation planning work shows how the same job can affect both daily readiness and future funding. Holmes County EMA invited public comment on its 2026 hazard mitigation plan from March 6 through March 20, 2026, and county officials say the plan helps preserve eligibility for certain FEMA mitigation grant funding.

Troyer’s work has also drawn attention beyond emergency operations. In October 2022, the Holmes General Health District named him a Public Health Champion for his service during COVID and a June storm. In December 2025, he took part in an Ohio EMA winter conference session on Amish health and safety, where the discussion highlighted why culturally informed communication matters in a state where 58 of 88 counties include Amish communities.