Complex issues face Putnam County volunteer fire departments

For Greencastle Assistant Fire Chief Darrick Wiatt, being a firefighter truly is a way of life.

The veteran firefighter has seen the industry from both sides, serving as a paid career firefighter and as a former Chief for Russellville Township Fire Department. 

He understands the complex issues facing volunteer fire departments and doesn't mince words when speaking about the future of volunteer departments across Putnam County.

"We face a number of issues when it comes to volunteer firefighting. I am very passionate about it, and there are a lot of great people out there volunteering. I am forever grateful to those folks, who volunteer that time away from their families, and it should never be taken lightly," Wiatt told The Putnam County Post. 

If someone wanted to be a firefighter and do Firefighter I and Firefighter II training courses back-to-back, they are looking at a four to six month commitment, according to Greencastle Fire Chief Rob Frank. 

Wiatt said that is a huge time commitment for someone looking to become a firefighter, whether it be paid or volunteer.

"Usually, it is a two night a week and multiple Saturdays. It is a lot to get that certification, and that is just to get started. That is a lot of time away from your family to get certified to do a job you don't get paid for. I think that drives people away. I think volunteerism is going away in this world. It is difficult to make ends meet, already and when you are working 10 to 12 hours, the last thing you want to do is spend four hours going to class and then spend your Saturdays away from your family. It kind of stinks, but it is part of the job," Wiatt said. 

Wiatt has a clear understanding of what it means to volunteer, having watched his father run the Russellville Community Center as a child. 

"I spent a lot of my childhood up there cleaning, painting and helping with dinners to make ends meet at the community center. It wasn't anything new to me to volunteer time. I got to watch my dad spend almost all of his free time at that place. I dove into the volunteer fire service, and I love it. I love the people of Russell Township and Russellville and do what I can to provide public service for them, and I am not so sure that is present nowadays," Wiatt admitted. 

Both Frank and Wiatt acknowledge that the generation that has upheld the ways of volunteer fire departments across the county are "tired."

"That is one of the issues we face as a career department in the county. We rely on a lot of volunteers to come in when we have fires. We are facing a lack of volunteers, those new, young bodies that are coming in. The ones that are volunteering have been doing it for so long that they are tired or their bodies are getting to the point where they can't do it as effectively as they used to," Frank said. 

As a chief that depends on volunteers to help aid the Greencastle Fire Department, Frank said volunteer fire departments have to take a look inside.

"I think volunteer fire departments have to look at their structure. They are going to have to adjust in order to get people in there because the old system doesn't work anymore. I'm not going to say it's broken. It didn't used to take six months to get trained. It used to be you could show up at the firehouse, they'd run you all the equipment and did more or less a 24 or 48 hour training, gave you a t-shirt and a hat and you were on the department. Like a lot of things, firefighting has evolved. There is a lot more safety built in, and that is why it is important to get this training. Fire departments are going to have to look at their culture and what it does to bring more people into the doors," Frank said. 

Both Wiatt and Frank said the annual fish fry dinners, monthly breakfasts and other fundraisers are "vital" to keeping the doors open at local volunteer departments.

"You don't realize how much work goes into the Fillmore BBQ Chicken Dinner or the Jefferson Township Porkchop Dinner they have or the Roachdale Bean Dinner. Those guys put a lot of time and energy into that. Custom firetrucks are over a million dollars now. There has to be a different way to attract people in than how we have always done it in the past," Frank said. 

Wiatt said during his time at Russellville, the department raised more money than what it got in funding. 

"We simply host a spaghetti dinner and a golf scramble. We have incredible community members who donate a lot of money and have a lot of active folks that spend a lot of time," he said. 

While volunteerism may not be what it once was, Wiatt said there are still people who routinely answer the call across the county. 

"We talk about how volunteerism is going away, but there are still a lot of people who serve. In Roachdale, Mike Poole works full time as a volunteer fire chief, works a full time job and runs on an hour of sleep every day. There are a lot of great people supporting and they are the reason why a lot of these departments are still there. The volunteer fire world without guys like Mike Poole, Curry Shepherd, that scares me. Unfortunately, that time is probably on the horizon, and it is something we need to be thinking about and address. Those guys are very valuable to their communities. I don't know how many people there are to replace them," Wiatt said. 

As for the future of volunteer departments, Wiatt said he believes the county will see more departments combining. 

"We are already starting to see that. At Russellville, I had to call Mike a few months ago on how we responded to EMS calls and asked if his department would be willing to respond with us. He said absolutely. No compensation whatsoever for their department, but he does it because it is the right thing to do. We have volunteers from Bainbridge and Clinton Township that also help Russellville and Roachdale. I think you are going to see people combining for the sake of budgeting and district forming so maybe they have access to more funding. If I buy four sets of gear at Russellville, that blows my entire budget," Wiatt said.