Ohio MARCS Equipment Award Lists $130,852 for Adams County Fire and EMS

A third‑party dataset labeled "Fire Department Information by County 2025 Equipment Awarded / 2025 Fees Awarded" lists Adams County with an equipment award total of $130,852.02 and fees totaling $4,320.00, broken down by department: Franklin Township Fire Department $24,930.00 (fees $1,440.00), Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department $13,111.02 (fees $0), Manchester Fire Department $49,996.00 (fees $0), Oliver Township $35,627.00 (fees $600.00), and Peebles Fire Department $7,188.00 (fees $2,280.00). The departmental lines sum to the stated county totals in the dataset.

Separately, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal published a 2026 MARCS (Mutual Aid Radio Communications System) by‑county listing showing Adams County received a MARCS equipment allocation; the statewide PDF listing referenced in source material indicates Adams County as a recipient but the excerpt provided to this report did not include a dollar amount for the county. Yahoo’s summary of the State Fire Marshal announcement lists West Union Fire Department and Life Squad as named Adams County MARCS recipients and reports that 198 departments in 63 counties will share nearly $4 million in the 2026 MARCS cycle, with funds to be disbursed in early 2026 after agreement letters are signed.

The Division of State Fire Marshal’s 2025 Equipment and Training Reimbursement program figures, cited in an SFM press release summary, show roughly $2.52 million awarded statewide for 2025: more than $2 million through the Fire Department Equipment Grant to 141 departments in 70 counties and $498,486 through the Training Reimbursement Grant to 207 departments in 77 counties. The SFM description of the 2025 Equipment Grant explicitly lists permissible purchases, including personal protective clothing, self‑contained breathing apparatus, and communications equipment, which would include MARCS radios if applied to that program.

The data in the Dam Assets 2025 file and the State Fire Marshal’s 2026 MARCS listing reflect two different program years and, based on the materials available, two distinct grant programs. The Dam Assets file is labeled 2025 and does not explicitly identify the entries as MARCS awards; the SFM’s 2026 MARCS PDF excerpt provided to this report confirms Adams County as a MARCS award recipient but does not supply a county dollar figure in the supplied material. Yahoo’s coverage attributes a statement to Ohio State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon: "This grant funding is a major resource for fire departments across Ohio, especially since it helps give them access to MARCS radios that they might not otherwise be able to purchase," and "These radios help first responders better serve Ohio communities and protect those who call them home."

If the $130,852.02 catalogued in the Dam Assets dataset represents SFM equipment grants for 2025, those funds would align with the SFM’s stated allowable uses for equipment grant dollars. At present, the state MARCS listing and the Dam Assets 2025 breakdown cannot be treated as interchangeable without confirmation from the Division of State Fire Marshal and from local department officials in Adams County, including West Union, Franklin Township, Manchester, Oliver Township, Peebles, Jefferson Township, and Life Squad, to establish which departments are receiving which awards and the exact dollar amounts and timing of disbursement. The distinctions between the 2025 equipment grants and the 2026 MARCS cycle remain the central verification task before allocating specific program impacts for Adams County.