Community leaders throughout Lake and Porter counties should take note that as of July 1, the Franklin Township Fire Department in Marion County merged with the Indianapolis Fire Department.
Since 2007, the IFD has brought three other township fire departments -- Washington, Warren and Perry -- under its wings. With Franklin Township now on board, the IFD covers 230 square miles and has 1,145 firefighters.
Franklin Township is no stranger to fire department mergers. In 1991, the township board and township trustee made a resolute decision to merge the Acton, Wanamaker and Bunker Hill fire departments into one. "Although unpopular at the time, this merger has proven to be cost-effective and has vastly improved the quality of services provided," the Franklin Township Fire Department website states.
Building on the success of the 1991 merger, the Franklin Township Fire Department moved in 1997 toward staffing with career firefighters rather than volunteers. It started with 18 career firefighters; on Thursday, it brought 92 to the IFD. Franklin Township's four fire stations will become IFD stations.
In recent years the Franklin Township landscape has changed, with family farms giving way to leafy subdivisions. Sound familiar? The leaders there recognized that century-old fire department models aren't efficient in 21st-century suburbia.
Time is long overdue for Northwest Indiana community leaders to think boldly about how to merge fire departments and streamline operations. It's important for community safety, homeland security and the new reality of property tax caps. Any merger will take many months of meetings and negotiations. Let's get started, using Franklin Township's successful mergers as inspiration.
Someone, please, give IFD Chief Brian Sanford or Assistant Chief Dudley Taylor a call at (317) 327-6041 and tap their expertise.