Chief Gorder told the Zionsville Safety Board on July 21 that the town's firefighters continue to support regional responses while maintaining local operations. He reported an Indiana Task Force 1 deployment to Kirk County, Texas, and described changes to the department's wellness-exam vendor and upcoming hiring dates.

The update matters because members are weighing staffing, training and interagency deployment impacts while the department fills vacancies and plans for retirements.

Chief Gorder said Deputy Chief Josh Frost was deployed July 8 as a hazmat specialist with Indiana Task Force 1 and that the task force has been extended in Texas; typical deployments run about two weeks. He said federal authorities cover the deployed specialist’s pay and any backfill costs. Chief Gorder also said Lieutenant Matt Quigley is a rescue specialist who was not part of the July deployment but remains eligible for activation, and that two additional department members are completing the team’s training pipeline.

The department recently switched its annual firefighter wellness exams from Public Safety Medical to Hendricks Regional Health, Chief Gorder said, adding the change followed a vendor performance review and produced positive feedback and some cost savings. He described the department’s emergency medical responses as “a mobile ER,” noting that many EMS calls deploy both fire trucks and ambulances to deliver care and move patients safely.

Chief Gorder said the department ran three days of active-shooter training at Zionsville High School with county and municipal law enforcement and fire units; the exercise used summer months so schools could host full-shift participation. He also said two recruits are enrolled in the Northside Fire Academy, a joint program with neighboring departments, and are projected to graduate late 2025 to fill open positions labeled as numbers 10 and 11.

Leadership training for internal promotion candidates was delivered this month, Chief Gorder said, and the department’s biennial hiring process will open August 1 and run through the 20th/29th (as stated in the report). Board members asked that the monthly report separate EMS calls from motor vehicle accident statistics in future reports; Chief Gorder agreed to provide that breakdown on request.

The board did not take formal action on the monthly report. Members noted the increase in fire prevention inspections and discussed showing the public the scope of department responses beyond structure fires. The chief closed by saying the department will present a midyear financial report at the next meeting.

Less-critical details included an invitation for board members to request additional data elements for future monthly reports and outreach to volunteers and neighboring departments as staffing needs evolve.