INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana House Enrolled Act 1182 authored by state Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg), a retired firefighter, passed unanimously in the House and Senate during the 2015 legislative session.
It was signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence on April 23 during a ceremony at the Fire Department Instructors Conference International in Indianapolis. The law increases the board of firefighting personnel standards and education from 11 to 13 members. It also allows the division of fire and building safety division of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) to establish a fire and public safety academy training system. This will create and conduct programs to train public safety personnel, and allows the division to develop the programs in cooperation with other agencies, organizations or educational institutions.
Marty Gearhart, chief of the Henry Township Volunteer Fire Department based in Akron, sees the act as a benefit for rural departments comprised of volunteers with full-time jobs. "It’s difficult for those people to take time to travel for training, and it’s expensive," he said. "If they can fund training facilities that are closer to us, it will benefit everyone."
His sentiments were echoed by Mike Yazel, chief of the Mentone Volunteer Fire Department. "Everyone has to take mandatory and firefighter 1 and 2 classes before making a run. That amounts to almost 200 hours," he explained. "Add to that community service, plus another 80 hours for first responder certification and 200 hours to be an EMT. "They take their time and buy gas for at least two trips a week. In addition, we do 2,000 man hours of our own training – and that doesn’t count time in service. Having training closer to home will be a huge help."
Frye said creating the law has been one of the greatest honors of his life. "Having worked in the field, I know how important it is for firefighters to receive the same type of training," he said.
