Cleveland ARFF Paramedics

The Cleveland ARFF Paramedics’ thoughts are with those who worked along side Chief Meklemburg, his family and friends and our friends at Seven Hills FD and Valley View FD.

The City of Seven Hills mourns the loss of Fire Chief James A. “Jamie” Meklemburg, Jr., who passed away on April 5, 2026, at the age of 47.

Chief Meklemburg dedicated his life to the fire service and to the communities he proudly served. He began his career in the fire service with the Valley View Fire Department, where he worked part-time starting October 22, 2001, before transitioning to full-time service on June 6, 2006. He later served part-time with the Brooklyn Heights Fire Department beginning September 15, 2009, where he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on June 19, 2018.

Chief Meklemburg left the Valley View Fire Department to become the first-ever full-time Fire Chief of the Seven Hills Fire Department, where he was sworn in on February 11, 2020. During his tenure, he led the department with dedication, professionalism, and a strong commitment to public safety and service to the residents of Seven Hills.

Chief Meklemburg is survived by his wife, Kelly, and their two children, Sophia and James.

Visitation will be held at Busch Funeral Home, 7501 Ridge Road, Parma, on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Columbkille Church on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., followed by interment at All Saints Cemetery.

The City of Seven Hills and the Seven Hills Fire Department ask that the community keep Chief Meklemburg’s family, friends, and colleagues in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

The Cleveland ARFF Paramedics on C-Shift today are working this snow event and ensuring that all passengers and staff are safe.

During an Alert 2 this morning, weather conditions were making movement of all vehicles and aircraft on the ground difficult in addition to having an aircraft coming in with an emergency.

We’d like to thank our friends in the Air Traffic Control Tower at CLE for their professionalism, patience and commitment to ensuring that our crews were taken care of and safe but also ensuring that things were running as smoothly as possible.

Outstanding work.

Happy New Year to all our friends out there celebrating 2026.

The Cleveland ARFF Paramedics ended 2025 with 1,384 calls for service.

Included in this was 40 different calls for aircraft emergencies, 68 standbys for Hot Fueling of Aircraft, 342 fire calls and 934 EMS Calls.

We look forward to sharing our unique fire department and highlighting some of the outstanding things that our crews do!