Text and Photos
By Patrick Webb
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Fire departments in Kosciusko County face multiple challenges with equipment and personnel.

One challenge local fire departments face is the cost for equipment. According to Mentone Fire Department Chief Mike Yazel, a new fire engine the department purchased in 2005 for $365,000 would cost $1.4 million today.

According to Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Assistant Chief Aaron Bolinger, mileage is a factor in a vehicle’s life expectancy. He said that WWFT averages three to five calls a day and includes trips such as for training and errands; a volunteer department might see one or two calls a week.

“New fire apparatuses were out of our price range before COVID-19, but in the last two to three years the price has skyrocketed and has really gone out of our range,” said Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Chief John Conley.

One factor in the cost is inflation. Milford Volunteer Fire Department Chief Virgil Sharp shared that his department budgets for a 3-5% increase per year, but that recent increases have been higher.

“With as fast and large amount that everything increased over the last few years, nobody can keep up with the rising cost to offset your costs for your budget,” said Sharp.

Sharp said that Milford Fire doesn’t see a need to replace a vehicle for another year or two. He shared that Milford Fire replaced one truck around three years ago and received an additional truck recently.

Yazel said that the wait for vehicles has also gone up. Bolinger said the average wait used to be eight months for some vehicles. Today, the average now is two to three years, Yazel said.

Many departments in Kosciusko County buy vehicles used. Mentone Fire is replacing a tanker from the 1980’s with a used 2001 tanker from a fire department in New York.

WWFT’s current Engine 17 will be replaced and become a reserve and training vehicle, such as for the high school program “Firefighter For The Day.” The department is donating their older training vehicle to the Macy Fire Department, whose engine broke down.

Silver Lake Fire is currently buying a 2004 Spartan Heavy Rescue from a fire department in Shawnee, Kan., for $120,000, plus $20,000 to install a light tower.

“The truck has less than 30,000 miles on it and is in good shape for being a 20-year-old truck,” said Conley. He shared that the department had looked for around a year to find a new rescue truck.

Other equipment cost increases have included safety gear. Winona Lake Volunteer Fire Department Personal Information Officer Mike Cox said that to fully equip a firefighter with bunker gear, boots, helmet and a self-contained breathing apparatus in 2013 cost $9,410. Today it costs $12,795.

Cox said that part of the change is the removal of chemicals from the manufacturing process that could become carcinogens. Modern bunker gear is also more fireproof, Cox said.

Equipment is recommended to be replaced at certain times by the National Fire Protection Association, such as a minimum of 10 years for fire gear, said Turkey Creek Township Fire Territory Chief Mickey Scott.

A challenge departments face is funding. Many fire departments are funded through taxes, which vary from one to multiple townships, depending on the territory. Bolinger shared that the training budget for the WWFT is bigger than Etna Township Fire and EMS’s entire budget.

“You got to have the equipment. What’re you going to do without it?” asked Scott. “You gotta provide the service. People need to remember about Fire and EMS is not to treat it like a business. It’s a public service that’s being provided.”

One solution to rising costs is for multiple departments to purchase equipment at the same time. Dunny’s Pump Service Co-Owner Matt Dunithan shared that suppliers often give discounts for bulk purchases, such as some firehose nozzle vendors offer a 10-15% discount if departments purchase together.

Personnel is also a challenge.

“Manpower I think is the biggest challenge we all face,” said Yazel. “We have a pretty good training system in place in the county to get (firefighters) through Firefighter I and II (classes).”

Cox said that training firefighters and volunteering is a commitment. Winona Lake’s current class started in February and ends in October. For some volunteers, Cox said the time commitment isn’t easy to justify. Other times volunteers aren’t able to leave during the day while working.

Sharp said that Milford is fortunate to have 33 volunteers. The biggest challenge he said is during the workday, where only some volunteers can respond. Sharp said Milford Fire is well-staffed during the evenings and weekends.

Volunteers are important because smaller towns can’t afford to pay for a full-time department. Cox explained that small towns such as Winona Lake don’t have the tax base to support a paid fire department.

For volunteers, some chiefs proposed the state of Indiana should provide additional incentives. Scott shared that some states, such as Pennsylvania and New York, provide tax credits or incentives for volunteering. Additional benefits some states offer include not paying taxes on license plates.

Cox shared that several proposals have gone through Indiana’s state government, but haven’t passed. Governor Eric Holcomb and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security announced a $10 million grant program for 66 fire departments, including Etna Township Fire and Silver Lake Fire, to receive new equipment.

Collaboration among departments is also important. Cox shared that the county’s fire association, which started in the 1940s, helped departments to standardize equipment, such as hose sizes.

Kosciusko County also assisted with upgrading first responders’ radios, which cost around $6 million, said Yazel.

“We have a good working relationship across different jurisdictions and across different response groups, being police, fire and EMS,” said Yazel. “We’ve worked on various large-scale projects like the radio system together, to make things happen.”

Bolinger said WWFT couldn’t provide the service they do without the help of mutual aid from volunteer fire departments.

“God bless the volunteers that take it upon themselves to protect their communities, because they do a lot of stuff with very little,” said Bolinger. He recommended people volunteer with their local fire department. Bolinger also shared that people with certified driver’s licenses could help drive water tenders.

Upcoming Fundraisers

Several fire departments host fundraisers to help raise funds for equipment and training. They include:

• June 7-8: Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Department will be participating in Silver Lake Days and have a touch-a-truck event in the Metzger Trucking Lot, along with food.
• June 30: Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Department will host their 10th annual golf outing at Sycamore Golf Course.
• October 6: Milford Volunteer Fire Department will have a chicken barbecue.