As firefighting trends continue to evolve and volunteers are harder to find, the city of Warsaw is turning to part-time professionals.
The city is establishing a crew of part-time firefighters beginning in 2018 that will include as many as 30 people from Kosciusko and other surrounding counties, said Michael Wilson, fire chief for Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory.
The fire department will continue to rely on a small group of volunteers, but is using them more as training ground for younger people interested in getting their feet wet and serving the community, Wilson said.
The number of volunteer firemen available has dwindled to a third of what was several decades ago because most people no longer have the flexibility of leaving work for an hour or so to assist with a fire.
At the same time, the role of professional firemen has changed.
With improved construction codes and fire codes, the number of fire calls have shrunk dramatically over the years.
In fact, only about 4 percent of the service calls the department makes involve actual fires. About 72 percent involve medical emergencies while other tasks, including numerous types of rescues, represent the other types of calls, Wilson said Friday.
With fewer fires to fight, departments like Warsaw-Wayne have changed their focus to provide a wider range of emergency services while maintaining its staffing.
The department has 34 full-time firefighters.
“We’re becoming a well-rounded emergency service,” Wilson said.
The number of fires has fallen, but the number of calls continue to slowly rise.
“Our run volume continues to grow,” Wilson said. “This year, we’ll do about 2,500 runs. Ten years ago, we were probably doing about 700 or 800 calls a year.”
Part-timers are filling that gap in staffing.
“It’s something new in the fire industry that we’re seeing and it’s worked in other communities. We’re very excited about it being here because we feel it’s going to work.”
The Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory has modeled its program after ones in the South Bend area.
The department has already heard from firemen in Elkhart, South Bend, St. Joseph County, Silver Lake and Winona Lake who have inquired about part-time employment.
They already have 20 lined up to work part time.
One of the benefits for the city is that the part-timers don’t need additional training.
“It’s a win for the community, it’s a win for the budget and it’s a win for our fire service,” Wilson said.
Volunteers are still a key part of the overall picture and now serves more as a training ground than a backup for personnel.
On Friday, the city extended its contract with Warsaw Volunteer Fire Department to help the group cover the cost of travel, mileage and clothing allowance. The city will provide $5,000 in six-month increments.
The department has about seven to 10 volunteers currently and would like to boost that number to about 15, he said.
The department has the luxury of having a fire training program at Warsaw Community High School. This year, he thinks they could gain about four new volunteers from the program, Wilson said.
