GOSHEN, Ohio — During the past week, business owners and residents have worked to recover from an EF2 tornado that struck Goshen on July 6. One of the biggest recovery efforts in town involves the fire station, which was hit hard from the storm.

A collapsed roofed and walls caved in, leaving bricks and debris surrounding it, are what remained of the Goshen Fire and EMS Station 18 after the storm. Eight firefighters were at the station the night of the storm. 

“My initial concern was were my people okay,” Goshen Fire Chief Ed Myers said. “We’re a huge family and that was my biggest concern and once we determined that everyone was okay. Guys were already ready to flip the switch to let’s start taking care of the citizens.”

Myers said not only was there structural damage, but utility damage, too. But that didn’t stop his team from serving the community. They responded to nearly 200 calls for service Wednesday. 

“We adapted fairly quickly and thankful to our mutual aid partners that rushed to help us out and able to start getting things in order,” he said. 

In the meantime, the fire department will work out of the township administration building and Goshen Fire and EMS Station 19. They’ve been working with structural engineers and an insurance adjuster to see if the building can be repaired or if it will need to be rebuilt. 

“It’s little steps,” he said. “It’s nothing something that we’re going to resolve in the next week, the next month. This is going to be a several month, if not couple year, process until we’re back into a permanent home.”

Despite the recovery efforts at the station, Myers said protecting and serving the community is their number one priority. 

“Citizens are always going to come first for us,” he said. “So we’re response ready right now. So whatever that emergency may be, we’re ready to respond.”