Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Mike Wilson told the Territory board Tuesday that they attempted to offer the training in 2019, but they didn’t get enough people registered. Dive Rescue International, which is the certified water rescue company that fire and police use, wants to offer the classes this summer.
Wilson said there will be six classes. Dive Rescue International will do all the advertising and registration for the classes and receive all the class funds. However, by using Warsaw’s classroom space and water supply, if they get 10 slots filled for the classes, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory will get 10 slots free.
“Dive Rescue International is a very good company and the dive team … have used these in the past and they’re very reliable,” Wilson said.
Mayor Joe Thallemer, a member of the Territory board, asked what the dates for the classes would be. Wilson said they haven’t advertised the dates yet, but it would be sometime in the summer. If something happens again – like the COVID-19 pandemic – the classes won’t be held.
Territory board member Brandon Schmitt said the police department uses Dive Rescue International, as do conservation officers. So the potential to have conservation officers and WPD involved in the classes is high. He said Dive International is professional and does a wonderful job. Schmitt said he participated in their surface rescue class years ago, and it was great.
Thallemer said if the Fire Territory is going to host, he wanted to see a plan before it goes to the Board of Works. He acknowledged the program is great and it was great Warsaw could host it and local firefighters could benefit from it, but he had an issue with there being no date and plan yet. “I’m fine with the concept,” he said.
After texting with the organizer, Wilson said there would be a plan in place and the dates are tentatively scheduled for Aug. 4-16.
The Fire Territory board approved the training this summer, pending Board of Works approval, for Aug. 4-16.
The board also approved for the Territory to participate in the Assistance to Firefighters grant. The Kosciusko County Firemen’s Association is making application for radio communications equipment to flow with the new county communications upgrades. The grant is being applied for by the North Webster Fire Department for the Firemen’s Association.
Wilson said if the county gets the grant, the dollar amount Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory would ask for is $144,614. It requires 10% matching funds, or $14,461. Wilson said the Territory’s share would come out of 2022 funds.
The Kosciusko County Communications Committee selected the upgrade radio system for the emergency responders, fire, EMS and law enforcement of the county and the county commissioners approved the funding, according to information provided at the meeting. This funding is for the upgraded radio towers, communications base equipment for each of the four towers and hardware and upgrades to the Central Dispatch Center. The individual fire departments are responsible to upgrade their own equipment.
The county funded over $2.5 million for the project.
Next up, Wilson talked about the local Critical Incident Stress Management Team, which includes members from the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, Warsaw Police Department, Parkview Samaritan and the Department of Natural Resources.
He said the Team sits works with first responders who have been involved in stressful situations.
The Team is at a level now where it can be recognized as a team by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. He said the team members have to pay a yearly membership of $50 per person, but as a recognized ICISF Team, they’ll only have to pay $250 per team annually, and there are other benefits.
In order to be recognized as an ICISF Team, Wilson said it does require support from the Fire Territory board. Thallemer asked how many members were on the team. Wilson said two from Warsaw Police, three from the Fire Territory and one each from Parkview and the DNR.
Wilson said they are taking an oath that they are going to be supportive of the mental health for the emergency service workers in the county. As a team, they will keep up on the education they need to provide mental health support to first responders.
He also said the ICISF classes and conferences are excellent.
Schmitt said, “I absolutely support this. Mental health in our society is a very important topic in our society today,” but with first responders especially.
The Fire Territory board approved the local team to be recognized as an ICISF Team.
In November, the Fire Territory applied for an Indiana Department of Homeland Security Air-Care Max Fogger grant for a handheld fogger to be used within the fire stations and apparatus. Tuesday, Wilson said the agency was notified it was awarded one.
Thallemer said the Air-Care Max Fogger eliminates COVID-19 and many other things. The Territory board approved accepting the Fogger.
Wilson also told the Fire Territory board about the number of hours the street department put in on the Fire Territory’s equipment in 2020: 1,115 hours. That saved the Territory $223,000 in mechanical work.
“It’s quite an asset,” Wilson said, adding that they’re good at doing repairs to the Territory’s vehicles.
For other departments’ mechanical needs, the street department provided 440 hours to wastewater ($88,000 in savings); 122 to the airport ($24,400); 206 to the cemetery ($20,600); and 12 hours to building and planning.
Total hours spent on other departments’ equipment is 1,895 hours, which is about a quarter of the street department’s 6,685 hours of repair work on equipment.
Thallemer said he was proud to see city departments helping each other out and the street department is doing a great job for the city.
Speaking of agencies helping each other out, Wilson said Warsaw continues to use Winona Lake Volunteer Fire Department and the Leesburg/Plain Township Volunteer Fire Department on structure fires as an automatic response aid to the community. Along with this, Warsaw continues as an automatic aid response to those communities.
He said when someone calls 911 about a structure fire, Dispatch Center automatically alerts Leesburg and Winona Lake of it. Those departments automatically respond. If it’s north of U.S. 30, Leesburg responds; and anywhere else, Winona responds.
If Warsaw can handle the fire without the other departments, they cancel the call out to them.
Schmitt said it is very important that they have those ISO Automatic Aid agreements “as sometimes we might only have two firefighters at station 3. The most dangerous calls are the high-risk, low frequency and those are the house fires but we’re dealing less and less with those. They take a lot of manpower. Statistics may not look like we’ve got to have these agreements, but there is a significant risk involved in these calls.”
