Several local fire departments merge with South Madison County Fire Territory
Eight local fire departments have voted to merge under the name of the South Madison Fire Territory. IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports on what this means for those that call on fire services.
The new South Madison Fire Territory now includes Adams and Stoney Creek townships, and the towns of Markleville, Lapel, and Ingalls.
South Madison Fire Chief Chris Nodine says the merger was in response to difficulties facing rural fire stations, including staffing.
“This is the one way that the local governments, the towns or the townships, can provide a fire protection that has got paid staff,” said Nodine. “Volunteerism is drastically declining, not only in this local community, but across the nation.”
By being part of a larger fire territory, local stations will be able to pay their firefighters to work full time, and give them benefits like a retirement plan.
For communities, Nodine says they’ll also see better response times.
“The average turnout time for a paid department is less than 90 seconds,” Nodine said. “You know, for a volunteer, it’s, you know, it could be upwards of five to ten minutes.”
A map labeling the cities and townships included in the South Madison Fire Territory. (Thomas Ouellette/IPR)
Nodine says that he understands that many of these volunteer fire stations have developed a form of station pride over their decades of service, and wants to assure them it will be a priority of his to ensure that sense of pride is maintained.
Current part-time firefighters will still be utilized and given the option to apply for full time positions.
“They will still be there,” he said. “They will just have a different name on it and be better funded.”
The new territory boundaries began with the affirmative vote. But, the department still needs to get approval from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance to set a new tax rate.
Nodine says the territory plans to hire 30 new full time firefighters across the county in 2026.
Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer. Contact him at [email protected]
