CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Sixteen teams of firefighters from 11 fire departments across northeast Ohio will gather in downtown Cuyahoga Falls to compete in the Falls Fire Showdown Smoke on the Water event.

What You Need To Know

  • Teams of firefighters from across northeast Ohio will compete in the Falls Fire Showdown Smoke on the Water

  • The event is set for Friday, June 2, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and features food trucks and craft beer vendors

  • Funds raised at the Falls Fire Showdown will benefit the Cuyahoga Falls Firefighters Memorial Foundation

  • The foundation is creating a permanent memorial featuring the historic Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department bell

The family-friendly event is set for Friday, June 2, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., the city said in a release.

During the event, teams will compete in a relay challenge to determine “who is the best of the best,” organizers said.

The showdown will raise money for the Cuyahoga Falls Firefighters Memorial Foundation, which was established in 2020 to honor Falls firefighters. 

The foundation put the wheels in motion to create a permanent memorial featuring the historic 700-pound bell, cast in Cincinnati in 1882, which for decades was positioned atop a tower at city hall to call volunteers to fight fires.

a memorial with a bell in a cemetery
The Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department bell spent about 70 years in a memorial in the city's historic Oakwood Cemetery. (Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department)

After tolling its final time for a fire captain who died in the line of duty in 1938, the bell was taken down and stored in the basement of city hall, then located at Front and Broad streets.

A decade later, Falls firefighters took the bell out of storage and made it the centerpiece of a makeshift memorial in Cuyahoga Falls’ historic Oakwood Cemetery, where it spent 70 years. 

In 2021, the bell was moved temporarily to Fire Station No. 3, where it was put on display while money is raised to design and build a permanent memorial to fallen firefighters at Station No. 1 downtown, which is approaching 100 years of service, the city said.

“The Falls Fire Showdown is a chance for the community to come together and support our men and women of the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department,” said Mayor Don Walters. “Join me in rooting for our Cuyahoga Falls Firefighters as they show off their skills to support a great cause.”

Registered teams include:

  • Akron Fire Department (3 teams)
  • Barberton Fire Department
  • Canton Fire Department (2 teams)
  • Cleveland Fire Department
  • Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department (3 teams)Macedonia Fire Department
  • Macedonia Fire Department
  • Ravenna Fire Department
  • Springfield Fire Department
  • Stow Fire Department
  • Strongsville Fire Department
  • Twinsburg Fire Department

Food trucks and craft beer vendors will be on hand for the event, while Cleveland's Breakfast Club will perform 80s music from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Downtown Amphitheater.

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