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Honey Creek Fire trustees describe regional structural-collapse and trench-rescue capability built after Sullivan tornado
Summary
Honey Creek Fire Protection District officials told the council they trained teams with FEMA-task-force instructors, bought equipment and built an outfitted trailer; the district has invested about $180,000 and staged responses to three incidents to date.
Joe Shackleford, chairman of the Honey Creek Fire Protection District trustees, thanked the council and described the district’s creation of a technical rescue squad after the 2023 Sullivan tornado.
Shackleford said Honey Creek firefighters responded about 30 minutes after the tornado, spent 14 hours searching collapsed buildings, recovered one fatality and processed about 200 collapsed structures. An after-action review concluded the department needed enhanced training and equipment for structural collapse and trench rescue.
“To date, the Honey Creek Fire Protection District... has invested over a $180,000 into this project,” Shackleford said. He described a two-week training delivered by Advanced Rescue Solutions of Indianapolis — instructors who were largely members of FEMA Task Force 1 — that cost $32,000 ($16,000 per week). He said the district purchased a fully equipped, self-sustaining trailer and is running a second class of 19 firefighters.
Shackleford said the team has responded twice: to Farmersburg where a vehicle crashed through a restaurant wall and to Fairbanks where an impaired driver drove through a house; in the latter incident no one was injured.
He thanked the council for budget approvals that supported the effort and offered to answer questions.
Why it matters: The county-level investment in a regional technical rescue capability can shorten response times for large structural incidents and provide mutual-aid support for nearby communities.
Next steps: Honey Creek continues training and will deploy the team where needed; council recognized the value of the capacity for the region.
