INDIANA – Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones released the following statement:
In the four short months since I was nominated as your State Fire Marshal, it has opened my eyes more than ever before about the important role you play in our society. I see the great work each day you are doing in your communities, and I feel blessed to partner with you and work to support you across Indiana. As the new year begins, we have some exciting initiatives to support fire and EMS that is sure to mark 2023 as a transformational year for Hoosier public safety.
Firefighting is a difficult job, especially this time of year as fires are even more difficult to battle in the extreme cold. While much of our communities are sleeping, fire and EMS crews are running quickly and lean to respond to every emergency call. No hesitation. No questions, just a commitment to do the job and protect the community.
This year, I am extremely hopeful Indiana can pay back that commitment in a big way.
Governor Eric J. Holcomb recently announced two major initiatives that will have a big impact on firefighting and emergency medical services (EMS) in Indiana. In total, the two projects could bring nearly $40 million of investment to fire and EMS, impacting fire training, volunteer firefighter equipment, EMS workforce shortages, improved trauma patient transports, and more.
The Governor’s support of the IDHS Hub-and-Spoke regional training model as well as the recommendations laid out in the comprehensive Governor’s Public Health Commission Report represent monumental upgrades to historic shortfalls for fire and EMS. These conditions were not created overnight, and they won’t be resolved quickly either. However, this is the first real attempt to reverse trends that, if left unchanged, threaten citizen safety.
IDHS Hub-and-Spoke Firefighter Training Proposal ($24.2 million)
The Governor supports enhancing the primary, state-supported fire training sites across Indiana (14). Additionally, the plan calls for 16 new sites (a total of 30) to support a high-quality, comprehensive physical training location within 45 minutes of every community. The plan would standardize equipment and training at state-supported locations and add consistency to Firefighter I/Firefighter II training ($13.1 million).
If approved by the General Assembly, the plan also would dedicate $10 million across the next five years to replace turnout gear and SCBA equipment for volunteer firefighters ($10 million).
The proposal also would replace mobile training equipment to help make these training props more available to firefighters across the state ($1.1 million).
The proposal still needs approval from the General Assembly. Training locations have not been finalized, and the process to support the upgrades of volunteer PPE has not yet opened. More information will be shared when appropriate.
Governor’s Public Health Commission ($14.6 million for EMS)
The recommendations from the Governor’s Public Health Commission calls for sweeping change and support for the Indiana EMS system, impacting areas such as trauma care, ambulance counts, EMS service in rural areas, and a much-needed focus on EMS recruitment and retention. In total, Holcomb has requested $347 million for the next two years from the General Assembly to support the GPHC recommendations, and $14.6 million of that would be designated specifically for Indiana EMS initiatives. This proposal also requires approval from the General Assembly.
New Director for the Fire and Public Safety Training Academy system
The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office now is hiring for a Director for the Fire and Public Safety Training Academy, which will be intimately involved in the new Hub-and-Spoke training model. The Academy Director operates and manages the Indiana State Fire and Public Safety Training Academy system. This position is responsible for the daily operations of the Academy, ensuring continuity of operations and instruction while maintaining Academy compliance with federal, state, and local training incident safety laws, guidelines, and practices. The candidate must have a firm understanding of career and volunteer fire department culture, structure, operations, and mission. This position helps establishes effective, safe firefighter training across the Indiana fire service.
For a detailed job description email the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office at firemarshal@dhs.IN.gov.
As we continue through 2023, I encourage you to think about ways to better serve the 6.7 million Hoosiers in the state.
- Share your love and passion for the job with others.
- Never stop learning.
- Take care of your mental health.
- Respect your role to take care of the crew of your firehouse or ambulance.
- Continue to learn from life.
Take care and stay safe. I look forward to updating you soon on these exciting developments.
Stephen Jones
Indiana State Fire Marshal
