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OPEN HOUSE hopes to bring out the public, and volunteers
Van Buren Fire Department invites everyone to their Open House Saturday, August 13, 2022, starting at 4 p.m.
They want the public to come out and see the new technology their tax dollars have purchased for the department and especially find volunteers to support the department’s effort.
“We live in a very giving Township, and we’re very appreciative of that,” said firefighter and Public Information Officer Cody Barnard. “We want to show them that we appreciate what they do and their support. So, we’re inviting the community, not just Van Buren Township. It’s anybody. We want them to see our facility, trucks, and equipment.”
The department plans refreshments, drinks, educational games, prizes for kids, and fire safety tips.
“We’re going to have a Smoke Room to teach the kids what it looks like when a house is full of smoke,” Barnard said. “What do the firefighters look like when they’re fully geared up with their SCBA on; why do we get down and low, and how do we get out safely?”
Just for fun, there will be a Dunking Booth, which Fire Chief Pete Taylor has volunteered to get wet.
“Pete’s gonna get wet well, as long as they can hit the target, that is,” joked Barnard. “It’s all free.”
The department’s auxiliary is planning a bake sale to raise donations to support the department.
The auxiliary supports the fire department and the firefighters.
If we are out on a lengthy fire scene, they bring us food and water,” said Taylor.
An informational tent will be set up during the event, looking for sincere volunteers to join the fire department and the auxiliary.
Barnard and Taylor say volunteer fire departments across America face a growing crisis regarding volunteers.
In 2019, The Indiana Volunteer Firefighters’ Association (IVFA) and Ivy Tech partnered to give volunteer first responders across the State of Indiana the opportunity to get a two-year degree in any subject at no charge.
“This is a terrific opportunity Ivy Tech has helped create,” said Taylor, a chaplain and District Chair of the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters’ Association. “As volunteer firefighters, we are here to protect our community. It takes a lot of people to do it, but we don’t have enough people volunteering right now.”
The firefighters believe society has changed its dynamic from being one 50 years ago where everybody helped out when needed but now has become a society that’s too busy to care about their neighbors in need. According to the firefighters, it boils down that volunteer groups and volunteer firefighters everywhere are potentially facing a grim future.
To become a volunteer firefighter: one just has to be 18, pass background, drug, and physical screenings, be willing to learn, and show up when called to service. There was a time when departments had waiting lists for people to join, but not so much anymore.
With Barnard’s 20 years, Taylor’s 60 years, and Captain Brian Perdue has 21-22 years of experience, they have almost 100 years of firefighter experience.
“Honestly, we all get tired; we’re not going to be around forever. We got to have somebody coming in to replace us, and we want to teach them so they can carry on the tradition,” said Taylor. “We are a dying breed. We have to have the bodies.”
Some departments are lucky to have one person on station to respond during that day in case of a fire.
Many departments are called upon when needed; there isn’t enough manpower for fires, traffic accidents, and medical calls. It is so often a thankless job.
“We see stuff that we probably shouldn’t see, and there are things that I wished I could just forget, but they’re forever embedded in your mind. You hear that occasional ‘Thank you,’ or ‘We appreciate what you’re doing.’ It makes it all worth it because everything else goes away. You have to have a passion for doing this job, for wanting to help others.”
Often, many people have the misconception that when they call 911, somebody is sitting and waiting.
“Yeah, that’s just not the case with the volunteer world,” said Taylor, who admits firefighters have to stop what their doing wherever they might be - including bed - and go to the firehouse to get to the scene. “You could very easily be 15-20 minutes. Then when you get there within minutes, they ask: What took you so long?”
The department hopes retired firefighters and their families come to the Open House to see the new firefighting technology.
“We hope our community comes to see what we have spent their money on,” said Taylor. “According to a study by the IVFA, volunteer firefighters save the state’s taxpayers about $4.5 billion annually.”
Without volunteer firefighters, according to the 2019 study, property taxes would rise across the state.