Department History

The Southwest Mercer Fire District (SWMFD) is located in west central Ohio near the Indiana border. Organized in 1885 as the Fort Recovery Fire Department was transitioned into the Southwest Mercer Fire District in 1982. The coverage area consists of three full townships, well as, the Village of Fort Recovery. Also one-half of a Township is in our neighboring County, Darke. Our coverage area is approximately 110 square miles.

Two very significant battles in American history took place in Fort Recover; the first in 1791 on the banks of the Wabash River. At that time Arthur St. Clair suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of 1,000 to 1,500 Indian warriors. The second battle was in 1791 when Mad Anthony Wayne’s men successfully defended the fort against a relentless, two day onslaught of 2,000+ Indians. They were under the command of Little Turtle and Blue Jacket. This last battle let to signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. From that time Mercer County, where SWMFD is located has thrived and continues to be a vital link in the production of crops.

While we have a large diverse coverage area our department responds to approximately 80 emergency calls per year. The Village of Fort Recovery itself has approximately 1,350 residents with the aforementioned coverage area having approximately 5,850 more.

Our response area has been prone to flooding throughout the years. SWMFD suffered three major floods in 1989, 1992 and again in 1995. These were the contributing factor in moving our station in 1997. Our members are trained to meet the specific demands of our community ranging from fires to the devastations of destructive weather.