Retired assistant chief who helped bring Advanced Life Support to Napoleon and the surrounding area died Sunday following an accident; he had returned to the department in 2024 for the love of the job.
NAPOLEON — The Napoleon Fire-Rescue Department is mourning one of its own following the death of Tony A. Druhot, the City of Napoleon’s first paramedic and a retired assistant fire chief, who the department said passed away Sunday, June 14, at Mercy St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo.
Druhot died following an accident, according to a press release issued Sunday by the department. The Village Reporter is awaiting further information; no additional details about the accident had been released as of press time.
Druhot’s ties to Napoleon Fire-Rescue ran deep and spanned more than three decades. He served the department for 25 years, from March 18, 1991, to March 18, 2013, the department said, rising through the ranks of firefighter/paramedic, captain, assistant chief and acting fire chief before retiring as assistant fire chief.
He left a lasting mark on emergency medicine in the community. Druhot was the first paramedic in the City of Napoleon and was described by the department as instrumental in establishing Advanced Life Support (ALS) care for residents of the city and the surrounding area — an advance that expanded the level of pre-hospital care available to local patients. Over the course of his career he received numerous Life Saving Awards and Letters of Commendation.
Retirement did not keep him away for long. Druhot returned to the department in 2024 as a part-time firefighter/paramedic — a decision the department attributed to his love for the job and for the City of Napoleon. He remained an active member up until the time of his accident.
In its statement, the department said the loss is being felt well beyond the firehouse. “The weight of this loss is not only felt by our department but is felt by everyone who knew Tony,” the release read. “On behalf of Fire Chief David L. Bowen and the men and women of the Napoleon Fire-Rescue Department we place our loving arms around the Druhot family during their time of grieving.”
The department closed its tribute with a firefighter’s farewell: “Tony’s legacy will always live on through the stories that are re-told at the kitchen table and the countless lives he has touched through his years of service. Rest easy brother, we will take it from here.”
Service to the community appears to have been a family tradition. Druhot’s mother, Brenda J. Druhot, who died in August 2025, was remembered in her obituary as a longtime LPN who also served the community as an EMT for Napoleon Fire and Rescue.
Druhot’s service to the region extended beyond Napoleon. He also served as a full-time firefighter/paramedic with the Wauseon Fire Department.