Bill would add fire chief or designee to countywide school safety commissions

Representative John Commons presented House Bill 1016 to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee, saying the measure would add a fire chief or a fire chief’s designee to countywide school safety commissions. Commons said fire chiefs and volunteer departments are often among the first on scene in an emergency and can help coordinate traffic, casualty response and command structure.

"Fire chiefs can facilitate communications and coordination between schools, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other agencies to create a more comprehensive safety strategy," said Steve Arusa, retired fire chief and representative of the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association, which testified in support. Arusa told the committee that modern school risk profiles increasingly include mass casualty and active‑shooter response and that fire department expertise in incident command and emergency operations centers supports coordinated response.

Senators asked practical questions about overlapping jurisdictions and which chief would represent a multi‑jurisdiction commission. Representative Commons and witnesses said counties and school corporations would determine the appropriate designee and that the largest corporation by ADM would have appointment authority in some drafts of the bill. Senator Spencer Deary suggested clarifying that selection process in the bill language; Commons said he would discuss options with members.

No committee vote was recorded in the transcript. The bill drew support from the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association and the committee took testimony rather than taking final action.