Fire chief reports 415 total calls in April; discusses Narcan use, evaluations and peer support

Michigan City’s fire chief reported that the department handled 415 calls in April, including nine dispatches for fire-related incidents and 268 medical calls. The chief said the department used Narcan six times during April’s medical responses and that the total included a mix of outside fires, possible structure fires and numerous non-emergency or canceled calls.

"We dispatched for 9 fire calls... for a total of 415 calls," the chief reported. He described efforts to improve reporting specificity so that fire calls and structure fires are broken down more precisely in future reports.

Commissioners and a council representative discussed community training and outreach. The council representative noted station personnel had helped remove invasive trees and offered tours to students, and commissioners suggested offering Narcan demonstrations alongside CPR classes. The chief said he would follow up with EMS and Councilman Nelson to identify where Narcan is available and how the department might incorporate public training.

The commission also discussed personnel evaluations: one evaluation remains unsigned because the firefighter is on extended leave; the chief described the department’s evaluation process (station-level ratings averaged up through battalion chiefs and deputies) and said finalized evaluations would be provided at the next meeting. Commissioners and chaplain volunteers addressed peer support and chaplain involvement in trauma response and ride-along opportunities.

The meeting record includes routine acknowledgements of anniversaries (Captain Brandon Lee, 17 years; probationary firefighter Edwin Schmidt, 1 year) and no formal policy changes were adopted during the report.