Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Joel Shilling (L) speaks with Warsaw Human Resources Director Denny Harlan (R) after Wednesday’s WWFT board meeting at City Hall . Photo by David Slone, Times-Union

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW – Following votes by the Warsaw Common Council and the Board of Public Works and Safety, the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Board on Wednesday approved the resolution rejecting the merit board system for the fire department.

In introducing the resolution, Mayor Jeff Grose said the Common Council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution rejecting the merit board at an October meeting, and the Board of Works on Friday voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.

Warsaw Human Resources Director Denny Harlan explained the resolution to the fire board, as well as the Common Council and Board of Works.

In 2023, he said, the Indiana House of Representatives passed House Bill 1016, which became law on May 4, 2023.

“Essentially what that did was turn the merit board process on its head. So any department that had 12 members and served a population of 20,000 people is mandated to have a merit board unless we pass a resolution to reject that merit board, and then the members of the fire department will also have a vote blind to be able to do it like Bueno,” Harlan said.

If either party decides to have a merit meeting, then the merit meeting will be held regardless of the votes of the other three. Now that the Common Council, Board of Works and Fire Territory Board have passed a resolution rejecting the merit board, the final decision falls to members of the fire department. Harlan said the firefighters’ vote will occur in three weeks.

“If they decide to reject it, we will continue as we have operated with the Public Works and Safety Board. If they choose that they want a merit board, then we will put one together and have it on January 1, 2025,” Harlan said.

In observing merit boards and speaking with Fire Chief Joel Shilling, Harlan said they feel a merit board is not in the best interest of the city, the territory or the chief, “especially now that you’re actually going in there and getting a lot of traction.” and make things change.”

Harlan asked the territorial fire board to reject the merit board by accepting the resolution.

Grose said that when he sat down with Chief Shilling months ago and asked him where he was with the merit board, Shilling told him he thought it was best for the department to not have a merit board at this time. Grose said he took that position as mayor to support Chief Shilling.

As a voting member of the Board of Works and the Fire Territory Board, Grose said he voted both times to approve the resolution.

He explained that City Attorney Scott Reust had all three boards vote on the resolution because of state code and because they were all involved in the interlocal agreement that created the fire territory in 2008.

Territory fire board attorney Andrew Grossnickle said he spoke with Reust about the resolution and Grossnickle agreed it was appropriate for the three boards to consider whether to accept the resolution.

Chief Shilling stated, “I just don’t think it’s in the best interest of our fire department, so I also agree with us rejecting the merit system. It may work in other departments, but I don’t think we should go that route.”

Board member David Allbritten made a motion to accept the resolution, Wayne Township Trustee Jeanie Stackhouse seconded and it passed 3-0. Board members Gordon Nash and Councilman Mike Klondaris were absent.

In other matters, the territory’s fire board:

• Approved Dive Commander and Capt. Drew Shilling’s request to apply for a $57,428 grant from the K21 Health Foundation to purchase a Deep Trekker PIVOT remotely operated underwater vehicle. The Works and Safety Board approved the grant application on Friday.

Chief Shilling, speaking on behalf of Captain Shilling because he was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting, said, “We have a joint dive team with us, the Warsaw Police Department and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office. So, this will also be an asset that we will use throughout the county, not just for ourselves, but we will keep it.”

• CARES (Community Assistance, Resources, Emergency Services) Coordinator Mikaela Bixler was approved to apply for a K21 Health Foundation grant for $2,472.50 to purchase QPR Institute training books. QPR is suicide prevention training. The Board of Works approved the grant request on Friday.

• Approved two lease agreements for two office spaces for CARES at Fellowship Missions’ The Gathering Place for $400 per month for each office for 12 months. The Board of Works approved the two lease contracts on Friday.

• Approved operating and equipment replacement funds for September, as presented by Chief Shilling.

In the equipment replacement fund, two items stood out.

The first was replacing the air conditioning at Station 17. Core Mechanical Services Inc. came out several times to try to fix it, but in the end it had to be replaced due to its age and parts not being available. The cost to Flow Tech Plumbing & Heating Inc. to replace it was $10,993.

The second item was the purchase of a 2024 Chevy Silverado utility truck for $46,970 from Kelley Chevrolet Inc. He said the expense was in the budget.

• I approved the annual contract with Pro Air for the maintenance of the diving team’s air tanks. Maintenance fees are paid by each department: the fire department pays $2,948 for its tanks and the Warsaw Police Department pays $1,430. The contract will be presented to the Board of Works on November 15.

• Approved a resolution to transfer $28,856.23 of the FSSA CARES grant to miscellaneous – operating income, as requested by Chief Shilling. The grant reimburses the fire territory for the CARES program. The Warsaw Common Council approved the transfer resolution in October.

• Listened to Alicia Mediano’s September Lutheran EMS report. He reported that they ended the month with a total of 502 calls.

• Listened to Chief Shilling’s WWFT September monthly report. During the month, the fire territory had 336 responses, of which 114 overlapped (34%).

• Listened to Bixler’s October CARES report. He said they had 66 CARES interactions during that month, 46 of them in person and 19 new people they had never met before.

The next fire territory board meeting will be at 4 pm on December 3 at City Hall.