PAOLI, Ind. -- Finding volunteers to join local fire departments across the state has become more of a challenge statewide in recent years.
Several fire chiefs have said part of the problem revolves around a lack of adequate training facilities. This week, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced five new firefighter training sites would be built across the state. The move is part of a nearly $20 million initiative to build nine new training sites and provide PPE to volunteer firefighters.
”It’s a huge, huge thing for the fire service," said Mark Jones, the fire chief for the Paoli Volunteer Fire Department.
Paoli is now one of five Indiana cities and townships that learned this week they'll be getting their own firefighter training site — something Jones said breaks down a significant barrier for Hoosiers wanting to volunteer.
”When they pass their state certification written test, they have to do a practical, which involves a live burn, and those facilities have been few and far between in the state, especially in the rural areas," Jones said.
Jones said many rural firefighters have been forced to travel more than an hour to these kinds of training sites, something he's confident this initiative will change.
”We have these sites 30 miles apart," Jones said. "They won’t have to drive as far to get that live burn certification.”
Jones said the ultimate goal of the initiative is to get recruitment and retention numbers back to where they need to be.
"Our numbers here in Paoli over the years have been good, but in the last five to six years, a lot of our young people that are members have to work out of town, so our availability during the day, is very, very limited, which is dangerous," Jones said. ”The hope is that this will be an ingredient that will, you know, maybe, maybe bolster morale a little bit.”
Jones said while an official timeline has yet to be announced, he anticipates the five new centers will be complete by the summer of 2025.