Highlander Fire gives year-end report; resident raises procurement concerns

Brandon Alexander of Highlander Fire gave a year-end summary at the Dec. 16 meeting, reporting that the department hosted nine state certification classes and sent 12 students to outside state courses, resulting in 185 course completions (165 internal). Alexander said the department is launching the Southern Indiana Fire Academy with students from Floyd, Harrison and Washington Counties and expects to exceed 10,000 training hours in 2025. He also said Highlander Fire received three grants totaling approximately $200,000 that funded new gear and helped expand ambulance coverage to two 24-hour ambulances plus a part-time ambulance; the department added two advanced EMTs with another awaiting testing.