Leaders of the Warsaw Professional Firefighters Local 5461 include Max Kinsey, president, left, and Drew Shilling, vice president. Photo by Nathan Pace.

By Nathan Pace
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A little more than half a year into its existence, the Warsaw Professional Firefighters Local 5461 is hopeful for its plans to pan out in the coming years. The Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory unionized as a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters back in December.

Max Kinsey serves as president for the young union is seeing the immediate benefits of the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory in attracting recruits and volunteers.

“I think every guy voted yes for different reasons,” Shilling said. “Mine was just the opportunity to have the conversation. Try and make this place better and make this place better working. Communities around us are growing fast. Goshen, Elkhart, Columbia City even. With that their fire departments are growing. We’re also growing fast. If we’re going to compete with them to get the best firefighters for our community then we’re going to have to keep up with them. That’s where that conversation that we can have to try and make our department better and benefit community safety in the long run.”

Kinsey has been with the fire territory for 17 years.

Local 5461 is still waiting for it’s nonprofit from the state as it delays how fast the union can implement some of its community goals. Drew Shilling is the vice president for Local 5461.

“I wish we had unionized sooner,” Shilling said. “We would have a lot of the stuff established already. There are things we want to do; fundraisers we want to hold to give back to the community. We are kind of in a holding pattern right now until we get all that paperwork back from the state.”

Shilling has been with the fire territory for 12 years but began as a volunteer in Claypool. Helping area volunteer departments with training is something he hopes the new union can assist with.

“I started out as a volunteer. I know it’s difficult to get classes. Often times, you are taking vacation time from your job. That is one way to help them,” Shilling said.

Local 5461 has donated to Boggs Little League Park and the upcoming Family Safety Day on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kinsey sees Local 5461 as potentially teaching CPR classes, assisting with student lunches in area schools and offering scholarships.

“We knew it was going to take a year or two before we started to see some changes,” Kinsey said. “To get our accounts built up, to get our name out there and get our paperwork back from the state. Lots of classes, lots of sponsorships, raffles. I also want to keep good conversations with city government.”

Other ways the union is looking at giving back include a breakfast with local steel workers to fundraise money for its donations. Local 5461 has recently made a donation to Warsaw Aquatic Club.

Kinsey and Shilling have been observing other fire departments that have unionized, such as Fort Wayne and Goshen. They say learning how to operate has been the hurdle to overcome the first eight months.

“Just learning the rules. Learning what we can do, can’t do. When we have our meetings, how we’re suppose to run them. How we’re suppose to stay organized. That kind of stuff for me has been kind of the challenge,” Kinsey said.

Another benefit to the firefighters through unionizing has been a better life insurance policy through the IAFF. Kinsey is also aiming to change the narrative people have toward unions.

“I think a lot of people when they hear union they think negative right away. We want to have a good working relationship with these people. We want to make the community better. We would like to change that stigma. It’s not a bad thing that we are trying to make everything better,” Kinsey said.