Imagine for a moment that you call 9-1-1 for the fire department and no one shows up. The volunteer fire service, which dates back to Ben Franklin, is slowly disappearing like the horse drawn fire truck.

In a community where we pride ourselves on staying connected and knowing our neighbors, the fire department has always been that social and civic point of contact for our citizens. But as incidents increase and volunteers fade, the volunteer fire service could become as rare as a firehouse Dalmatian.

“People are running out of free time”, said Fire Chief Roger Bennett and according to a 2004 report by the NVFC that’s the number one factor.

Blame it on our society: longer commutes, year round sport activities, factories or shops that won’t allow volunteers to leave in the middle of a workday. Blame it on state mandated training requirements that have increased heavily since 9/11. Blame it on people who live in the community and don’t realize the department is strictly men and women willing to volunteer and there aren’t people at the station 24/7. The fact remains that the fire department could use more hands.

“Years ago the fire department was made up of local business owners and farmers who could leave for an emergency. Today more people travel out of town for work. Even if it’s just to Ft Wayne, it’s too far for them to respond”, said one firefighter.

As more people commute to these cities and towns for work, you can imagine how few of these volunteers are available during the daytime hours.

Two critical accidents during the afternoon hours in June, one being a fatality, had a total of two firefighters at one incident and three at another. The department’s protocol calls for two trucks to respond to accidents and to have 4 to 5 people in each truck. On a structure fire the amount of apparatus and people needed to make it as safe as possible triples.

VOLUNTEERING SAVES YOU MONEY

The economic consequences are obvious, because as more volunteers disappear from the fire service, towns are forced to hire career firefighters in place of volunteers. Of the 30,000 fire departments in the U.S., roughly 2/3rds are volunteer protecting 40% of the population.

A study conducted by the Public Safety and Environmental Protection Institute and found that it would cost U.S. citizens $37.2 billion annually if they had to replace all volunteers with career staffing.

The study went on to say that the average figure that can be used for a career firefighter’s salary and benefits is $71,500 per year. This obviously varies by area of the country, but it’s a figure that the town of Churubusco or Smith Township could not afford.

“To cover costs like these would require a raise in property taxes and in this day and age that’s not going to happen”, said Smith Twp. Trustee Patty Amber. “Even if we considered a fire territory, there isn’t enough assessed evaluation to create a career department” Amber went on to say.

BENEFITS OF BEING A VOLUNTEER

Most firefighters are very humble when called a “hero” because they’re just doing their job, but they all gain great satisfaction knowing their hard work helped someone else in a time of need. It could be as simple as helping someone up from the ground after a nasty fall, to saving a home from total fire destruction. No matter the incident, your help made a difference in someone’s life.

On top of the intangible benefits there are life skills and financial benefits to being a firefighter. Some of these include:

• CPR certification – This could help you advance in your career
• Cell phone discounts – Many of the major carriers offer some sort of discount
• Hotel room discounts – Some major hotel chains will offer discounts
• Free admission – You can attend events, festivals and at times movies for little or no cost
• Tax breaks – It’s possible to write off or claim items on your taxes

I WOULD LIKE TO HELP

Deciding to be a volunteer isn’t something you should take lightly and the fire department has a list of questions to ask yourself before you decide to apply.

1.)   Do I have enough time?

2.)   Am I willing to go out in extreme weather, odd hours and get dirty?

3.)   Will my family be supportive?

4.)   Do I have the ability to cope with emergencies?

5.)   Can I physically do the job?

There are two main requirements to apply for a position

1.)   Must be 18 years of age or older

2.)   Live within the coverage area which is roughly 5-6 miles in either direction from downtown

Applications can be picked up from the fire station on Tuesday evenings after 7:00 P.M. or downloaded from the Churubusco Fire Department website.

The annual Churubusco/Smith Twp fire department fish fry was yet again a great success.

Despite the humid temperatures the community came out in big numbers to show their support for the local volunteer fire department.

And then the clouds darkened, the winds picked up and reports of multiple tornado sitings started coming in from the Columbia City area.

Thankfully, no actual tornadoes touched down in or around the area, but there was some storm damage reported.

This big tree on Pleasant Street (pun intended) fell victim to the strong straight line winds. Fire crews responded to several other small incidents around the town of Churubusco and in the rural areas of the community.

As the skies darkened and the wind began to blow, people attending the festival at the park quickly ran to their cars or took shelter in nearby buildings and tents. Many crowded into the ball diamond cinderblock buildings and the attached restrooms. Cars were lined up in mass, unable to quickly exit the park. The few left at the park – mainly vendors and festival volunteers – stayed until the storms were over, but the continuous rain ended the night’s festivities at the park.

However, the beer tent, located in the parking lot of National City Bank, survived the storms. The band played on and people gathered to dance and listen to the music while the rain fell steadily throughout the night.

Churubusco firefighters were called to the Shady Grove Mobile Home Park this afternoon for a truck fire in a field.

They arrived to find a Dodge Durango stuck in the thick muck.

You can read more at the Churubusco Fire Department website.

Have the unseasonably low temperatures and high cost of fuel forced you to look at heating alternatives this year? The Churubusco fire department has already assisted and/or responded to house fires during this cold weather and would like to remind you of some safety tips for the remainder of this winter season.

According to the USFA the leading factor contributing to home heating fires (28%) and deaths (46%) was heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding.

Following a few simple steps can ensure the safety of you and your family this season

• Keep or maintain a 3 foot clearance between all heating equipment and anything that can burn.
• Inspect and maintain heating equipment regularly for safety.
• Space heaters should be turned off every time you leave the room and before going to bed.
• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home.  For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home.  When one sounds, they all sound.

Wood Burning Stoves and Fireplaces

Be sure the fireplace or stove is installed properly.  Wood stoves should have adequate clearance (3 feet) from combustible surfaces and proper floor support and protection.

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Each year unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning claims hundreds of lives and sends several thousands of people to the emergency room for treatment.  At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu.  These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, and fatigue.

In this tough economy and with the holiday season upon us it’s hard to imagine anyone having the resources to hand over something for free to those in need, but the Churubusco/Smith Twp. Fire Department did just that Tuesday evening. They donated their old rescue truck to another Indiana department.

For the past several months a committee of five firefighters have been sifting through a stack of donation requests from around the country and the world. “We received somewhere around 25 or more”, said fire chief Roger Bennett. “Everywhere from Mexico, Arkansas to New Hampshire and Connecticut. There are a lot of departments in need” continued Bennett.

Before too long the committee narrowed it down to three Indiana departments and in the end Earl Park fire department in southwest Indiana won the donation.

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“Between the three finalist they seemed to be the most needy”, said committee member Bruce Shanabarger.

Currently the department doesn’t even have a truck to carry rescue equipment on, so they have to remove firefighting equipment from other trucks to make room.

“You have no idea how much this means to us” said Mark Jones a 4 year veteran of the department.

Just recently the area around Earl Park divided up their centralized rescue organization that is similar to an emergency management agency and dispersed equipment and trucks to local departments. “We ended up with a box truck that wouldn’t even fit in our station” said Tommy Bennett of Earl Park.

If handing over the truck wasn’t enough, they were given numerous water extinguishers, fire hose nozzles and other miscellaneous equipment to try and make their job a little easier.

We here at BuscoVoice think a round of applause is in order for the Smith Twp. trustee and fire department for thinking of others who are need when they themselves give so much each and every day!

During their annual elections and monthly business meeting Monday night, two Churubusco firefighters were given awards for dedication and heroism.

Ben Rinker was given the Firefighter of the Year award for his dedication to the department and it’s members. “Always willing to help out and be involved”, said firefighter Chris Tomlinson who presented Rinker with the award. Every week firefighters are asked to come down to the station and do maintenance on the trucks, clean the station and provide general housekeeping and Ben is always there willing to help out.

Tadd Shively received an Award of Heroism for saving the life of a woman from a burning mobile home in January of this year. Shively was the first firefighter to arrive on the scene and found heavy smoke coming from the mobile home and a woman still inside waiting for the fire department to show up. He acted quickly and safely in getting not only the woman but himself out of the mobile home before flames errupted from one of the rooms.

The department also elected their leadership for next year which is as follows:

• Fire Chief: Roger Bennett
• Asst. Chief: Wayne Krider
• Board of Directors: Darrell Resler
• Board of Directors: Chris Holloway
• Board of Directors: Ben Rinker
• Board of Directors: Kris Bair
• Board of Directors: Justin Snyder
• Board of Directors: Bruce Shanabarger
• Board of Directors: Ron Slagal

These two men and the entire department could use a round of applause, so feel free to do so below.

It seems no matter your age a visit from Santa during a party is always welcomed with open arms and our local firefighters are no different. During their annual Christmas dinner firefighters were treated to a visit from Santa & Mrs. Claus, good food and fun.

Churubusco firefighters kicked off the 2009 Fire Prevention Week Friday visiting and educating kids on the dangers of fire.

In years past the department has brought in equipment to show the kids and talk about fire safety. This year they added a new feature – a safety house borrowed from Noble county fire departments.

Children attending the classes were instructed on how to crawl low to the ground when smoke was in a room, how and when to dial 9-1-1, electrical hazards and how to be safe in the kitchen when parents are using the stove.

Churubusco / Smith Twp. firefighters were called to the Pit Stop restaurant at approximately 3:45 Wednesday morning for a possible fire inside the building in the 100 block of South Main Street.

Crews entered the 2nd story of the building to find quite a bit of smoke and some fire in a closet area.

Departments from LaOtto, Columbia City, Tri-Lakes & Coesse were called to assist due to the age, location and size of the structure.

The Valero gas station was temporarily shut-down because of it’s proximity to the fire.

The fire was called under control within the first hour.

The building received moderate smoke and fire damage to the second floor, while the water damage was severe on both levels.

The cause remains under investigation.

Churubusco / Smith Twp. firefighters were called to the 6200 block of East Lincolnway Tuesday afternoon to assist Union Twp. (Coesse) on a house fire. A resident of the home is also a Union Twp. firefighter.

Because of the time of day, lack of manpower and the warm temperatures, fire departments from Jefferson Twp, Columbia City, Columbia Twp. and Arcola were also called in to assist with the 4 hour blaze.

Crews battled not only heat and smoke from the structure, but a bit of a hot summer day. No one was injured in the fire. The cause is still under investigation.

Well this tree didn’t actually fall in the woods, but the age old philosophical question of whether or not it can be heard was answered when the resident of this Blue Lake home heard a loud crack, a snap and a boom.

The tree fell for no apparent reason Wednesday morning near the intersection of 550 North and Blue Lake Road.

The Churubusco fire department, police and Whitley County Sheriff were sent to secure the scene and shortly thereafter Whitley County Highway crews and the electric company showed up to clean up the mess.

No one was injured in the incident, but one house did receive minor damage when the phone cable was ripped from the home and tore through the siding.

Emergency rescuers were called to the Churubusco Public Library at 1:00 p.m. Aug. 12 to help a man who had accidentally cut himself while using a power washer.

Fire rescue and EMS personnel decided that the safest way to get the man off the roof would be a ladder truck, with the closest one being in Columbia City. Not too long after they were requested a “man lift” from C&A showed up and safely removed the man and rescue workers from the roof. The Columbia City fire department was no longer needed.

The patient was transported to an area hospital in good condition with a laceration to his leg.

The long anticipated and always well-attended Churubusco Chamber of Commerce Picnic in the Park will be Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, starting at 4:00 p.m.

This year however, firefighters are going to challenge the Chamber in a series of events instead of just a single softball game. There will be Olympic-like series of events such as a water balloon toss, 3-legged race, “dizzy basketball” and plenty more. Chamber members and organizations are encouraged to attend and participate in the events.

There’s another new twist this year – dozens of local merchants have donated to a raffle and Chamber officials will give away thousands of dollars worth of prizes to local residents during the picnic. However, winners need not be present to win. You can view the entire list below.

Cost of the tickets is $3.00 each or 4 for $10. Buy raffle tickets today through Aug. 22 at the following merchant locations:

• Gonink Design & Print, U.S. 33 South, (behind Subway)
• K & K Video & Books
• Fort Financial Credit Union
• Farmers & Merchants Bank
• Star Financial Bank

All profits from the event will go toward Chamber projects such as Churubusco’s downtown Christmas decorations.

The fire department will be hosting a truck show from area departments and handing out awards such as Longest Trip, Oldest Truck, Newest and much more! There are also preliminary plans to have the Get Out Alive smoke house to teach kids how to safely escape a smoke filled room during an emergency. If that isn’t available, they plan on setting up mini fire hoses for the kids to experience the thrill of spraying water from a real fire truck!

In addition to kids’ activities, free hot dogs, kettle corn, sno cones and concessions, there will be a car/truck show hosted by the Churubusco Lions Club. The Cruise-In will run from 11:00 a.m. through 4 p.m. Plaques will be awarded at 3:00 p.m. with door prizes given throughout the day.

For more information on participation or donations, contact Chris Tomlinson at 260-312-0126 or Greg Veerkamp at 260-693-0308.

Thousands of dollars in prizes

First Prize: $300 Egolf’s IGA Gift Certificate
Second Prize: $250 Mor For Less Gift Certificate
Third Prize: Family Sports Pass to Churubusco High School

Others include:

• 52 rentals from K&K Video
• 1-Year Class at Hit The Floor Dance Studio
• Subway gift card
• (5) $15 East of Chicago Gift Cards
• (3) 9-Holes at Eel River Golf
• (2) 1-Year Subscriptions to Churubusco News
• Jewelry from ‘Busco Watch
• J&D Photo Gift Basket & $50 gift card
• $50 Savings bond from Churubusco Vet
• $50 Savings bond from Farmers & Merhants
• $30 Gift card from Grammies House
• Tax preparation from H&R Block
• Custom shelf from Brown’s Woodworking
• 1-Year Subscription to Post & Mail
• (2) $25 Gift cards to ‘Busco One Stop
• (3) $10 Gift certificate to Tennis’ Ramble Inn
• $25 Gift certificate from Shroyer’s Hardware
• $20 Gift certificate from Precision Sharpening
• Putter & Towel from National City Bank
• $25 Gift card from Fort Financial
• Notre Dame gear from Bargain House
• 1/2 Hour massage at Biddle Chiropractic
• Gift certificate to Wilma’s Health Care
• $20 Gift certificate to K&K’s 2nd Best Clothing
• (2) Mum’s from Jone’s Greenhouse
• Sweatshirt from Perry’s Country Store
• (1) Large pizza from Pit Stop
• (1) Oil change from Turtle Town Quick Lube
• Haircut from Mark’s Barber
• Silk arrangement from Watering Can
• (1) Oil change from Brady’s Auto
• 1-Month rental at Care Storage
• Basket & haircut from Hair Solutions
• Classes at Curves
• Do-It-Best hardware items

A head-on collision Sunday evening sent three people to area hospitals with minor injuries.

It happened around 6:15 p.m. on S.R. 205 in front of the Nazarene church.

Three people were transported complaining of neck, rib and leg pains, while an occupant of one of the vehicles refused treatment.

Despite a forecast of bad weather for the area, residents came out in large numbers to support the Churubusco fire department. With the bad economy, very warm weather and poor forecast, the firefighters were still very pleased with the turnout and support they received.

Churubusco and Huntertown fire departments responded to a garage fire Wednesday afternoon in the area of Miller & Wesley Chapel Road, only to find the garage had been completely destroyed and it appears the entire property has been abandoned for some time.

The structure was entirely on the ground when fire units arrived and very little of the contents survived, including several cars, a pickup truck and a tractor.

Churubusco police, fire and Whitley County EMS units were called to the intersection of U.S. 33 & Carroll Rd. Friday afternoon for an automobile accident with injuries.

A female driver of this Jimmy had swerved to miss a vehicle turning into a driveway near the intersection and rolled the truck once landing on it’s wheels.

Both her and her son were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries. Allen County Animal Control units were called to tend to a small puppy who was also injured in the accident.

Last Thursday the Churubusco High School S.A.D.D. chapter and local emergency agencies put on a demonstration prior to the annual prom night in an effort to educate local high school students on the dangers of drinking and driving.

In 2007 16-20 year old’s comprised of over 1,500 deaths, which was 12% of all fatalities that year.

On average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes. In 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in drunk driving related crashes—a decline of 3.7 percent from the 13,491 drunk driving related fatalities of 2006.

S.A.D.D. members and staff created a graphic scene of what it might look like if students were impaired while driving. The video below is entirely staged, but it may be unsuitable for some viewers. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

On Thursday March 12th, the Smith Township Fire Department took delivery of a new 14 Foot non walk-in rescue truck from Life Star Rescue of Van Wert, Ohio.

This new rescue truck replaces a very old and worn out rescue truck. The previous rescue truck was a 1979 Chevrolet 1-ton Van with a utility box mounted on the back that was originally purchased and owned by Whitley County.

The new rescue truck is mounted on a 2009 Chevrolet C5500 series 4 door cab and chassis with a 330 HP Diesel Motor and Allison automatic transmission. Some of the other features of the new rescue will be, seating for 4 firefighters in a climate controlled cab, 14 foot aluminum rescue body, 9000 lbs. portable winch that can be used on all sides of the truck, 15,000 watt generator, 6000 watt light tower, SCBA fill station, Holmatro Hydraulic Rescue Tool System, and two new safety features – a color rear view camera system and red and white reflective Chevron striping on the rear of the truck.

“The truck will be utilized for carrying manpower, used as an air supply unit and transport rescue equipment to accidents and other industrial emergencies”, said fire chief Roger Bennett. “We now have a piece of apparatus that is safer for our personnel because they will all be facing forward and have seating with proper safety belts”, he continued.

The members of the rescue truck committee have spent many hours working on the specifications for this truck, viewing several in the area to get ideas for this since June of 2007 and several trips to Life Star Rescue in Van Wert.

Approximately 20 years ago Smith Township initiated a Cumulative Fire Fund and since it’s initiation the fund has given the township the ability to buy three quarters of a million dollars in fire equipment paid in full. “The taxpayers of Smith Township  will not have to make payments or pay any interest to have this valuable resource available”, said former trustee Don Amber. “Smith Township will continue to save money for future purchases by the fire department as we have in the past with no additional strain on the pocketbooks of the taxpayers”, said current trustee Patty Amber.

The Smith Township Fire Department would like to thank the following members of the committee for their help in the job that they have done.

Roger Bennett – Chief, Committee Chairman

Wayne Krider – Assistant Chief

Jim Horne – Firefighter

Taya Walden – Firefighter

Tadd Shively – Captain

Don Chordas – Firefighter

Ron Slagal – Captain

Chris Tomlinson – Firefighter

The recent EF1 tornado that struck parts of Columbia City and damaged buildings on the outskirts of town has created some heightened awareness about these deadly storms and the Smith Twp. / Churubusco Fire Department would like to remind citizens of some very key points of safety and awareness.

Governor Daniels has proclaimed March 15 through 21, 2009 as Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana. The National Weather Service, in conjunction with the Indiana State Police, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, Broadcasters Association, the American Red Cross, and Amateur Radio Operators, will conduct a statewide test of communication systems on Wednesday, March 18 between 10:00 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. EDT.

Things To Know

Tornado Watch: Conditions are favorable to have a tornado. Maintain a close look out for changes in the sky and stay tuned to local weather stations.

Tornado Warning: This means there is an actual tornado reported or radar indicates one could develop within a few minutes. Seek shelter immediately.

If a tornado warning has been declared and the Churubusco area is in the path of the storm the fire department will more than likely sound the tornado siren which is a three-minute solid tone. If you hear the long sounding siren, find a solid structure and wait for the “all clear”. An indication that the situation is now safe will be three 10-15 second bursts of the same siren.

During a Tornado

• Basements, inner rooms and storm cellars provide the best protection
• Stay away from exterior walls, windows, and doors. Stay in the center of the room
• If you are in your car do NOT try and outrun the tornado because it can switch direction and can cover lots of ground quickly. You may have seen the infamous video of people taking shelter under a bridge overpass. This is not a place to be because people can be sucked out into the open or be struck by flying debris
• If you live in a mobile home, get out IMMEDIATELY. Take shelter in a building with a strong foundation
• Listen to a radio, watch T.V. or purchase a weather radio so you can be alerted about the situation

After a Tornado

• Stay out of damaged buildings
• Help others that might be injured when the situation is safe. Remember, a damaged structure is not a safe place to be
• Be aware of possible water, gas or oil leaks
• Stay away from all down power lines they could still be live

Have further questions about these storms? Feel free to leave them below and a representative from the department would be happy to answer them or point you towards someone who can.