December 30, 2024 • 41 mins
Season 1, Episode 10: Retiring Indianola Fire Chief Greg Chia and new Indianola Fire Chief Aaron Hurt join “Indy Unplugged” for an informative conversation that highlights the Indianola Fire Department.
In this episode, Chief Chia and Chief Hurt talk about their respective careers and transition of leadership, department accomplishments and priorities, an outlook of the future, the importance of community engagement, mentorship and professional development, plus so much more.
Fast-forward to a specific topic covered:
- 00:00: Intro
- 00:42: Welcome
- 1:11: Retirement Announcement & Background
- 2:43: When Chief Chia Became Indianola Fire Chief
- 4:24: Changes That Chief Chia Implemented
- 7:17: Training Priorities & Opportunities
- 12:25: Responding With Integrity, Serving With Compassion
- 20:41: Importance of Community Engagement Initiatives
- 25:05: Budgeting & Grant Funding Impact
- 28:22: Collaboration With Community Partners
- 31:13: Retirement Celebrations & Plans
- 33:15: Describing Chief Chia As A Leader
- 34:11: Final Thoughts & Closing
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
[Music]
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Welcome to Indy Unplugged,
the podcast that’syour front-row seat
to the real talkof Indianola.
I’m Aaron Young,your friendly neighborhood host,
and we’re diving deepinto unfiltered stories,
candid chats and the nitty grittyof our vibrant city.
Think of this as a crash coursein all things Indianola.
No fancy jargon,just real conversations.
(00:33):
So, get comfy,hit that play button
and let's explore the heart and soulof our community together
on Indy Unplugged.
Alright, welcome back to another
episode of Indy Unplugged,a City of Indianola a podcast.
And it's been a whilesince we've been, doing a podcast.
We've had a very
busy last couple of months between some,city leadership transitions,
(00:54):
of course, the elections,and of course, just all the great things
that are happeningacross our departments in the community.
So, we're back at it with a great episodetoday featuring
two leaders of the IndianolaFire Department, Chief Greg Chia,
and newly announced Chief Aaron Hurt.
for those who may have been livingunder a rock or just hearing it
(01:14):
for the first time, Chief Chia will beretiring from his position as fire chief.
December 31st, 2024.
So we're recording this podcasta few days, before his retirement comes.
But, chief, just what's this?
What's this month or what has the.
This year, once your retirementannouncement became official,
(01:37):
kind of what's been goingthrough your head or what's what's this?
What's life been like for you?
Well, once I announced it and
submitted my, my letter to,
the city manager, it,
it really didn't hit me
until probably a couple of weeks ago
(01:59):
that.
You know what?
I'm not going to be doing this.
I won't be working,getting up every morning and working
and having a schedule
and having to report, to City Hall.
That's, that'll be a huge change.
It really will.
I've been really fortunate
(02:21):
to work for two organizations.
Des Moines and in Indianola, whereIndianola has been for the last ten years.
And, very professional people.
I've been, very fortunate
to work alongside and workwith, as colleagues.
(02:42):
So you've led the annual fire departmentfor nearly the past ten years or so.
From when you leftat your previous stop in Des Moines
when you first became firechief in Indianola.
How did that come to be?
Because you are an Indianolaresident, had been Indianola resident
when you were working in Des Moines.
But how didhow did you first get kind of your
your foot in the doorto lead the department?
(03:04):
Nearly ten years ago.
So coming in, you I you know what?
It was, a little of unknown territory.
I mean,I coming from a larger department,
even though I'd been a memberof the community for years,
and all my kids have grown up throughand came through the school system
(03:26):
and everything.
I really, really didn't have
a grasp on
the structure that I was coming into
and what was, going to be involved
just with the daily operations.
And, you know,I think that was really the,
the unknown for me. But,
(03:49):
things worked out.
And you know what?
I have to compliment the menand the women of the fire department.
And because I,
I really made some changes, I,
I, I put impose,I should say, some changes
that probably some of them didn't likeand some of them did like, and, you know,
(04:11):
it's, it's just one of those thingsthat they adapted and have excelled at it.
And that's, that's a compliment to them
and the quality of the employeesthat the city has.
What were some of those changesthat you implemented for the better?
As you look backthrough those developments and I know
listeners, Chief Cheer has givenplenty of great annual reports
(04:35):
to council, on a yearly basis,where a lot of this data
and this information is available.
But just as you reflect for some of those,changes that you're most proud of or
that were really needed for when you cameinto this type of structure, well,
some of the changes that,
probably seem very minor, but or big were
(04:57):
when we went to a career department,we used to have paid on call,
we had part time, we had, six career.
So now there are no paidon call personnel.
And that's, that's a version of,
I guess, volunteer.
(05:19):
They would
but that that's a huge step in itselfright there.
And now we've got including myself
and Erin and some of the,
the officers,which they never had full time officers.
We have six captains positions.
(05:41):
Those are, those were some ofthe bigger changes that I've taken.
The scheduling.
We've done a lot of thingswith the scheduling itself.
I mean, granted, we worked at 24, 48,
which is a normal operational shift,
but now we've got three captainsthat work eight hours during the day.
(06:03):
But there are specialized.
One is an EMS captainthat oversees everything
in that section of the department.
Then we have a fire marshal that oversees
all of those thingswith plan reviews and inspections.
And that that sectionof the department just
(06:24):
is huge and is
actually instrumentalin, safety in itself for the city.
The other one is the training,
and you know what?
I'm going to have to compliment ChiefHurd for that because he took that on.
That was a huge, huge, hugepart of the department.
(06:46):
And he took that onand straightened it out to
we had a whole year'sworth of training prior
to that year, and we would go throughand set up all of it.
Well, I should say he set it all upand structured it to where it made sense,
and everybody kept up to dateon their required hours.
(07:10):
And that that really was oneof the turning points for the department.
So chief her how did you do that?
How did you develop a planfor a more structured training schedule
and just opportunitiesthat could be, provided
to our firefightersand EMS professionals for the city
is the
greatest thing is I first had to identifythe needs of the department.
(07:34):
They're going to be they're going to varyfrom department to apartment.
And there were some very specificneeds that our department had.
The greatest thing that I did,
probably as far as trying to identifythose needs, was to look at the gaps.
One of those things that we were missing,the gaps that first and foremost,
influence our response to the citizens,
which is kind ofour primary responsibility.
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And then the gaps, that, that createa safety issue for the firefighters
going back and finding those thingsthat need to be addressed and then looking
to the professional standards.
So the NFPA, is a valuable resourcefor the fire service
that we can look back in or look into.
They keep it updated.
And so it transitions throughout theyears to make sure that it's the most,
(08:17):
applicable that it can
be to the current environmentthat we're in,
referring back to those standardsand then trying to implement
those into our department,and adapt them to our department.
So that was kind of the keythat I look to.
I also had,joined a professional organization
which was the International Fire,Instructors Organization.
(08:38):
And they had severalthey had class that I could attend
that gave me a certification to becomea certified fire training officer,
which then gave me the knowledge basethat I needed to be able to then establish
a very good foundationfor the training program going forward.
And I would saythose were probably key to get started.
(08:58):
And then throughout the years,you just you sit back,
you talk to your firefighters,you observe the, service,
and you look for those areasthat we can tweak
to make improvements and, progressivelyimprove the training program that way.
I would say that would be, probably thethe major key to that with that,
being part of the metrohere, there's so many other departments,
(09:19):
and the contacts that chief had
that we could go back and reach out toif we needed to.
The relationships
that he had built over his 30 yearsbecame valuable to me, to lean into.
so that was advantageous as well.
And I think second on the
the fact of trainingsand we had one recently,
we were joined alongsidewith, some Des Moines Fire
Department professionalsas well as Altoona Fire Department.
(09:40):
Watched inon some specific type of equipment,
seeing if whether or notthat could be a piece of equipment
that Indianola could benefit from.
I mean, just talk about that type ofI mean, you talked, touched on it
a little bit with, contacts from,you know, those metro departments,
but also those that are kind of morerural around Warren County.
Just talk about that type of relationship.
(10:01):
And now you kind of leading the helm.
What that dynamic could look likemoving forward with that involvement
or just,the next steps for still having training
become be a priority for the IndianolaFire Department.
Yeah.
Our relationships with our, neighbors,rural
neighbors is key to our success on scene.
And part of that is thatwe have to lean into them, for support.
(10:23):
When we respond.
We don't have enough staffing resources,necessarily, yet at this point in our fire
department, to accomplish what we need toaccomplish is set by standards
and is set by just,
simple tasks that have to be doneand accomplished on scene.
And so and it's in those moments that wehave to lean into our mutual aid partners.
And they have they come alongside usand they support us.
(10:44):
Well,it is important for us to train with them
and to continue to train with them,to be able to, sort out that response
and to to achieve the best successpossible and also to identify
any of the gaps, leastthe safety issues that we may encounter.
But it's importantfor us to know how to work together.
So, yeah, that's certainly something
that we want to continueto train with those partners.
(11:05):
As far as the training with, Des Moines
and Altoona, Des Moines had had madean investment in a piece of equipment
that was designedfor fighting electrical vehicle fires.
And they wanted to share,
their knowledge of that piece of equipmentwith us, because certainly,
that's a rising issuethat we're dealing with.
They become quite a hazardand quite a different
(11:27):
problem to tackle when it comesto, to those types of fires.
They present some challenges that we werenot familiar with in the fire service.
And so, certainly have to go after itwith some different tactics.
And because they've employed that,
they were sharingthat piece of knowledge with us,
and they were also looking to adapt itmaybe to other situations,
to reduce the risk to the firefightersand to improve the incident operations.
(11:48):
And so that's what that exercisewas designed to do, was to test
that theory that they hadthat maybe would also work.
Not only for electrical vehicle fires,but also in structures.
And we tested it out.
We did get some very valuable
information,that, that, that fed those assumptions.
And so is it a piece of equipmentthat we're going to invest in
(12:10):
at this point in time?
Probably not, but we do have a futureknowledge of how it works.
And so, that that was importantfor understanding that.
And, and with that, it keeps usfrom spending money on equipment,
that maybe could be put elsewhereI think with opportunities like that
and a lot of the other initiativesand things that your department does day
in and day out
goes back to that, that tagline of,responding with integrity,
(12:33):
serving with compassion.
when you hear those words, what does thatphrase mean to the both of you?
Responding with integrity,serving with compassion.
As far as the firefighters,
that we have, again, I wouldI would echo what chiefs
of the firemen fire women that we haveare just incredible,
people, and put a significant effortinto their occupation,
(12:57):
significant effort into, the responsethat they give on a daily basis.
These are men and women of integrity,and you have to be in the fire service.
You we encounter the citizensin their most vulnerable moments.
We encounter themwhen they're sick and ill
and sometimes on the verge of deathand sometimes dying.
And we also encounter them when they're,maybe having a happy moment.
(13:22):
Such as, a pregnancyand a mother giving birth to a child, but,
very vulnerable momentsthat we are with these people.
And it is important that we have,people of integrity that,
are providing
care and looking after the, the citizens.
So responding with integrityis something that we have to do.
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That's something that the communityhas to be able to depend on. And,
certainly we have that in our department
and then compassion again.
We, we deal with loss, most of the time.
So from a fire perspective,from an EMS perspective,
our, our purpose for being hereis somebody experiencing
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a loss for the most point,
other than maybe the birththat I had talked about, which is, again,
and it is important at those timesthat we can
not only sympathize,but try to empathize with that person.
And in doing so,we can provide the best response
and help them get back on their feet
and begin that recovery process,whatever that looks like.
(14:25):
With the knowledge that Chief Czaja hasand just the years of experience
of going through likely dozens,if not maybe even hundreds
of those types of scenarios
and has you, begin your next chapter,as you know, a fire chief, chief hurt,
what are some of the thingsthat you have been able
to learn from Chief Czajathroughout kind of your career
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so far to this pointwith the internal fire department,
but also as you begin to, be the guy,be the be the leader.
Chief,you had an amazing ability and has, has
and has an amazing abilityto, have a balance.
As the chief, you have a responsibilityto the city that is important.
You also have that same responsibilityto the responders.
(15:09):
That is important.
being able to juggle that responsibilityand to care for both
the people of the community, firstand foremost and then the responders,
and to be able to, bring that together,
sometimes can be met with challenges.
There's different needs,that exist there.
(15:30):
Chief made a huge investmentin was always very passionate
about professional development,which is ultimately why I was considered
in in and was offered and currently slated to serve in the position as fire
chief is he made a huge investmentin, not only developing me
through mentorship,but pushing me outside of my comfort zone.
(15:52):
Give me the stretch assignments and, allowing me to seek the education,
the higher educationoutside the department that was needed
to be able to learn the skill set and,
develop the knowledgethat I would need for this position.
And now as I move forward, I have a big responsibility on my
shoulders, but I have a strong foundationunderneath me that supports me.
(16:16):
Because of the investmentthat chief has made in me
and not just me alone,but just about every other individual
there in the department,I think, would echo that same statement.
He's been an incredible chief,for the nine years that we've had him.
He's made some, hugeimprovements, to the infrastructure.
Completely replaced our, apparatus
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and has, built itin such that it was designed to serve
the citizens of this community again, you know, replaced a lot of our equipment.
We're currently looking forward to,
now adding a structure
that will help facilitate our response by,giving us the space
that we need to do the jobthat we're tasked to do for the community
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and also to house the the equipment,which is in the millions of dollars,
and make sure that, it's well protectedand ready to serve.
And throughout all that, too,
I mean, calls to service, keep climbing,record breaking type numbers.
But your response timeis still at a phenomenal point
where you still can providethe department can provide that adequate,
service to meet and oftentimes exceed
(17:24):
the community's, expectationsin that vulnerable time of need.
I mean, chief,when you hear chief, her explain,
kind of what your leadership means to himand also kind of being, you know,
having many goals accomplishedfrom professional development firm,
not just chief, but,you know, the captains
and all the other, firefightermen and women with the department
(17:45):
and just all the other things
from the apparatus and everything else,just as you reflect
what are just some of those things thatyou're most proud of from from your team
and from Chief Hurt as he gets ready towithin these next couple of days?
You know,
like I said, be that guy, be you,be in your seat with big shoes to fill.
(18:06):
But, you know, bethe leader of the department
actually, you know, and that's that'sone of the things
that, Chief heard is, as pointed out, and
it's all based off of
your support systemif you don't have a support system.
And then when I mean by sayinga support system,
(18:28):
the individuals that you workwith in your family,
if your family is not supportingyou and your career,
you're, you're going to flounder.
And and that's unfortunate, but I thinkhe has a support system that's in place.
I've had a been very fortunateto have a support system
(18:50):
that's been in placethroughout my 40 years of doing this.
And, and you can't go forward.
And I think that's where we goback to the phrase of serving
and the servicewe provide to this community.
And, and it's based off
(19:10):
of those that criteria that, you know,
we want to be here,we want to provide that service.
We want to work, we enjoy our work,
even though
we're put in situationsthat aren't the best.
It's a it's a different mindsetand it's a different career.
And probably 80 to 90% of
(19:34):
the community doesn't understand
exactly what we're trained inand how we deal with it.
The situations,because we the fire departments.
I mean, if you just in the last20 to 30 years
have evolved greatly.
They're they're basically an all hazardsresponse
(19:57):
unit or department
because we get called for everything
vehicle wrecks, injuries,
downed wires,
hazardous materials, any type of spill
alarms.
It's that that that's it'sjust part of that evolution
(20:19):
that the, the fire departmenthave had to go through.
And if you don't keep up with that
evolving and being adaptable,
then you're, you're behind.
And that's when people get hurt.
Unfortunately, whether it's a communitymember or an employee.
(20:41):
What aboutthe moments of when I'm thinking,
like the more community oriented and,
you know,I've seen photos of you giving plenty of,
story times at the National Public Librarywith the kiddos there,
and just other momentswhere you are able to connect, with
both young and older community membersin those type of settings.
How vital are those
(21:04):
moments for professionals in your fieldto be able to connect
with the community in that type of manner,or that that's a big part.
It really is.
And, you know,and I don't even see it as giving back.
I just seeing as it's it'san education opportunity
for and for whatever age group it is.
(21:24):
Boy, that when we can get outin front of the community
and either promote something
or promote safety in a different way,
why not that that'sthat is part of our job.
That's a big part of our job.
And it should be.
And there's so many different initiativesfor me members to engage in,
(21:46):
like we talked about,
when those storytime opportunities come,they're not necessarily planned years out
in advance, but, you know, months workinghand in hand with, with Janice in the,
you know, public library team over there,but also with Public Safety
Night, the, October, that second week,that usually that second.
Thursday, October for the communityto come in and learn more about, you know,
the fire department and some of the otherpublic safety professionals.
(22:08):
And I mean, just talk more about and chieffor this, be more for you
more of those initiate is that the firedepartment provides for those educational,
events and opportunitiesfor young and old committee members to,
to engage in the best positionfor our fire department to move from,
as always, from a proactive pointinstead of reactive.
(22:29):
Again, a lot of what we do is reactive.
We respond to the calls
when the emergencies has already happened,when we can get out in front
and provide the informationthat the kids need to understand
how to respond if they find themselvesin an adverse situation.
Dealing with threats, we're goingto improve the outcome for them.
And that's ideally what we want to do.
And those are some of the storiesthat we don't get to
(22:49):
necessarily understand the outcomeand for a positive reason.
And that's how we would rather things be,when we start to see reduction in fires,
we know that we're doing something right,whether we're doing it from a, fire
department perspective.
Or maybe that's afrom a consumer safety perspective.
Same thingwhen it comes to car accidents.
(23:09):
And I think one of the things
that is most notable for me,when I started my career,
we used to have some pretty severe crashesalong highway 92, highway
65, 69 where people were seriously hurtor killed.
Since, with a lot of the consumer safetyand a lot of the, you know, public
safety initiatives that have happened,I've seen a significant reduction
in those don't near respondto what we used to.
(23:30):
And so, again, being proactive,getting out in front and try to stop,
identify the threats and stopthe emergencies is going to be
probably the best workthat we do as firefighters.
And paramedics.
For the elderly population, being therefor them, trying to prevent the slips,
trips and falls, that can sometimes be, crucial to their independent living,
(23:54):
and sometimes crucial to their,
quality of life going forward.
Those are these, these momentsthat we want to be there to, to intervene.
It you know what I I'm going to
mirror what Chief Hurd just said.
You know, even though we we do respond
(24:15):
service calls
or if we can get out and educate
and educate not only our own employees,
but the community that that'swhere it really starts.
And if we can get outin front of that ahead of things that.
So I mean, we have programswhere we have in fact,
(24:36):
we just, received a grant for,
smoke detectors and, and those are for
individual residentsand commercial residents.
Were there are independent living.
So yeah, with that, that's,that's that's where it starts.
And the safety issue starts and we,we if we can provide
(24:59):
and save one life boy that's that's huge.
That's next question was going to bring upwas regarding grant writing
because as you know cities
not just in you know,
but across the state,
you know with house file718 and just other, budget constraints
that, all organizations, publicor private sector have to deal with.
I mean, grant writing for the department,
(25:21):
for the Know fire Departmentspecifically has been a a phenomenal
aspect for you to be able to provide,whether it be, you know, opportunities.
I don't knowif that, was that smoke trailer or the.
Yeah, that smoke trailerthat was at Public Safety Night.
Was that partly funded through grants?
The smoke trailer was funded through, the Elks was a
big part of that here in town.
(25:42):
But there was a multiple communitypartners that were involved with that.
And, I mean, as we go forward, that'sone of the pieces here that have gotten
well used and is ready to belooked at, to be replaced.
And I know the council is doingwhat they can from the city's perspective
to put forth money, but the costit takes to produce these, tools
are an incredible amountbecause of what goes into them.
(26:05):
And so,
engaging with those community partnersand getting them to participate in that,
either through grants or, volunteerfunding for those projects are huge.
Yeah. And that type of equipment.
I know, chief, you've said thatCaptain Eric Wallace has been, a
phenomenal grant writer for the departmentand, Captain Thad White, recently
through the Warren County PhilanthropicPartnership, community
(26:26):
grants, I believe it was, this past weekor a couple weeks ago
with that role in rack, power,hose roller.
Just as you chief.
Look more into, kind of your crystal ball.
Into the future,just how important will grant writing
continueto be Because of the size of the city,
(26:47):
that grant grants are going to be a
an integral part of funding.
That's the unfortunately,that's the way it's headed.
And when we you know
what, when we started writing grants,I don't think there was
a whole lot of exposureto many of the employees.
(27:09):
And that's probably one of the thingsthat I pushed pretty hard and in,
in my way was, yeah, you're going to learnhow to write grants, and here's one.
You're going to start writing.
And this is the parameters.
And, some of them didn't like it,some of them did.
And now I think, you know what?
It's it's a norm now,
(27:31):
they know wewe put in for anywhere from eight
to probably 11 grants annually.
Some of them are really large,
dollar or dollar wise.
But if we can get 20%,
we're, we're doing a great job at it.
(27:51):
And that's about where we're at 15 to 20%.
We get,
you know, those the number of grants
that we submit applications to and,but it, you know, with,
with just some of the legislationand the restrictions now on, funding.
It's it's not just the city of in,
(28:13):
you know, all this departmentsare going to have to start,
filling out those applicationsfor grants.
And just that collaboration toI mean, Chief Hurt,
you talked about with the Elks and,you know, in in all nine
Lions Club is a phenomenal,community partner as well.
But there's so many, you know, dozensof others that we're, we're leaving out.
But as anyone moves forward,we have this shared
(28:37):
purpose, this common goalwe're always better together, right?
I mean, be able to live out our commonshared purpose
to improve and be there for our community.
So it just how just touch it a little bit,a little bit more.
Either for the both of you of justhow as any knowledge moves forward,
we have to be unitedand together to be there for one another,
(29:00):
whether it's in your most vulnerablemoment or being proactive to be prepared
for the next good thing, or that nextworst thing, being united is huge.
Engaging allthe stakeholders and getting them involved
is going to be key to, the winsthat we experience in this community.
(29:21):
One of the greater concerns that I haveor the weather changes,
the patterns in the weatherchanges, are as such that we're starting
to experience things such as the rateshows and, increased amount of tornadoes.
And so if you were to look at some of themodeling from even the early 90s to now,
they have intensified, intensifiedby quite a bit.
(29:44):
And it's these, engagingwith these partners, whether they be,
merchants, in commerceor whether they be,
volunteer groups,voluntary volunteer organizations,
such as the new lines and, Elks,some of the other partners.
(30:05):
So the churches and some of the communitygroups that are existing or,
or existing become key playersthat when these emergencies, do occur,
these are the ones that are out frontthat really make a difference
in their own community.
And so again, with the individual grantsthat they offer,
I don't think they understandthe value that it adds back.
(30:29):
And sometimes we try to captureas much as we can to give them feedback
and let them know how important, their decision to grant us funding
or to participate as a partneralongside us is,
but I don't thinkthat story is told enough.
And I think, you know, we we do the best we can.
But maybe,you know, getting those stories out
(30:49):
front, that's the advantageto having a, a communications department.
The city stepped up and provide us here
so that we can get our story out therea little bit more.
That's important for them to understand
and for them to understandthat they're appreciated.
But not only that,the value that it adds, in the moment,
to be able to respond and recover from,
(31:09):
any situation that we might be dealtwith. You.
So as we fast forward nowto next week, chief,
how excited are you for youryour party on December 30th?
And it'll probably play after the fact,but as you look forward to it,
I mean, you gotto be pretty pumped, right?
I think
you know what I think about that.
(31:34):
And,
I guess it's a standinglittle bit of joke on me.
I should have known. that.I didn't have a choice.
And having a group,because I had all I told all of the
the wonderful ladiesI work with and, City
hall that I did not want
(31:55):
a party.
And that when I was hired,I was given a key
and I would turn that keyin, and then I would go on my way.
Well, that's not occurring. So.
Yeah.
No, but I, I will enjoy itand I will enjoy seeing all the people I,
you know, what I am after, you know,
(32:15):
my career, I, I cannot,
I can't complain about anythingthat's I've enjoyed it.
Like I said earlier, I still enjoy it.
I enjoy being with the people.
I enjoy working with the people.
Are there pieces of it that I don't like?
Just like any career?
(32:35):
Yeah, but,
I, I cannot lie.
This is this is, I've been very fortunateto have such a career.
What are you looking forwardto the most in your retirement?
Following my grandbabies.
I got four boys,and they're all starting to,
(32:58):
participate
in all the extracurricular activities now.
So being with my family and.
But the grandbabies are something else.
They're.
They're fun to be around and watch themgrow up.
Well, we're excited to celebrate you,on both the 30th
and being there for youryour final call, for PM December 31st.
(33:22):
Chief, her just as you look back at thethe type of leader that chief cheer is.
Just what's one word that you would
describe him as you embark on this nextchapter of your professional career?
So many words that you could add to this.
So trying to pick one is just difficult.
(33:43):
Rattle off a just a few, then carryso many qualities.
He's, passionate.
He's dedicated.
Just I mean, there's.
Yeah, again, so many,so many things that just play
into his leadership over the years.
And it's been an incredible experience,
I think for me, for the fire departmentand for the city.
(34:06):
Certainly, been an asset certainlywill be missed as we move forward.
So, Well, lastly, I kind of wantto open up the floor for either of you,
but just any closing remarks or chief keyespecially, I mean, just
this is that platform to engagewith a lot of our community members and,
you know, being on the record of the,in the unplugged, our podcast here
(34:27):
for the city and just any kind of,closing remarks that you'd like to make.
I've enjoyed
being the
chiefof the and, you know, the fire department,
and I've tried to
and through whether it was guidance or,
(34:48):
just advice to
individuals in the department,
they've all been treated equally and fair,
and they've all been allowed to advance
as far as they wanted to.
That's that, that that's key for me.
(35:09):
Plus they need to be safe and.
Our our field of work,
if you do it long enoughyou're going to get a sustained
an injury whether in
unfortunately you try to
(35:30):
minimize that.
And as long as I believeand I do believe that
nobody has truly been injured,
that was debilitating.
In by any means,
(35:50):
whether it was, through mentally or,
physically.
I think that's, that'ssomething that you try to work toward
as a whether it's a
department director or the chief officer.
And those those are things that
that worry me daily.
(36:13):
I don't want to go
to someone who's family and say
they sustained an injury.
By doing their job.
That's that'sthat's a huge piece right there.
And I,I'm hoping that I've accomplished that
(36:38):
You know, yeah, again,I think safety is always going to be
the priority of our firefightersor our first responders.
Safety of our community.
And that's always out front,which is important because
public service is a little bit different
than business in the capitalist market.
You have to create a servicethat is not only efficient
(37:03):
so that it benefits the taxpayerthe best that it possibly can,
but one that's effective.
And so trying again, trying to strike thatbalance of what's efficient
but also effective and safefor the responders.
What's efficient and effective and safefor the community is where our hearts at
and when we approach the communityand we ask for funding or,
(37:26):
when we're trying to,
get out a program, start a new program,
it's always what's in the back of our mindis what's going to be the best option
here from that perspective,that we can take that 360
degree approachand might not always be the cheapest,
but it's what's necessaryto keep the community safe at the moment.
Might not always be the cheapestfor the firefighter, but necessary
(37:46):
to make sure that they go homeat the end of their shift to their family.
But certainly we always want to be
cognizant of the fact that we are stewardsof what the community entrusted
to us and make sure that we're doing itin the best way possible.
to give you an exampleof what he just said
when we when I got here, we changed PPE,
(38:08):
which is our personal protectivegear that we wear in a fire.
So there's, there's a trade off
and one of them is the thermal protection.
You can get a real high thermal protectionthat protects you
from the heat and everything.
And the contaminants,
but it doesn't breathe,
(38:31):
so you're retaining that heat.
So we have to make that balance of
and it's multiple layers of
or the garment is made of.
So we had to get a balanceof how high can we go
with the thermal protectionbut also make it
(38:53):
the garment wearable, where
that heat release from your own bodycan be released
rather than being encapsulated,and then causes its own problem.
While you're you may be protected
from the outside, but you're now you're
causing the problem internallybecause you're wearing that in.
(39:16):
And I think the equipment in that we have,
the equipmentthat they have now is top notch.
And they all love it just becauseof those decisions that we made.
And there was inputfrom everybody on this.
And yeah, those are the thingsthat I think that get missed.
(39:42):
What did you do for the department
or how could you make the departmentbetter that, that it that was a key
component in putting us forwardunless there's anything else.
I mean,I just want to thank the both of you
for taking time todayto hop on this episode of India
Unplugged and chief,I mean, I don't mean to speak for,
the entire city,but you will be sorely missed.
(40:04):
I think, selfishly, for me personally,I wish we,
you and I had more time together.
It wasn't until, like, last month
you were in my office and you noticed, the photo I had of my father.
You guys both with the same high school,same sports and all that stuff.
And you and I, we've crossed pathsearly on from, you know, your son and I
(40:25):
playing, called sports together, and,of course, been in high school.
So, I've seen your face in the standsfor a number of years, but.
So it's been great to be onon the same team on this side of things
professionally.
So I will definitely miss,having you as a colleague,
but know that you're just onequick phone call or text message away.
(40:46):
So Thank you, thank you.
thank you listeners for tuning infor this episode of India Unplugged.
Make sure that you leave us a comment.
Leave us a review.
Wherever you're listening to your podcast,
whether it be Apple Podcasts,Spotify, iHeart, you name it, we're there.
And who knows, maybe next time you'll bea future guest of Indi Unplugged.
[Music]
(00:11):
Welcome to Indy Unplugged,
the podcast that’syour front-row seat
to the real talkof Indianola.
I’m Aaron Young,your friendly neighborhood host,
and we’re diving deepinto unfiltered stories,
candid chats and the nitty grittyof our vibrant city.
Think of this as a crash coursein all things Indianola.
No fancy jargon,just real conversations.
(00:33):
So, get comfy,hit that play button
and let's explore the heart and soulof our community together
on Indy Unplugged.
Alright, welcome back to another
episode of Indy Unplugged,a City of Indianola a podcast.
And it's been a whilesince we've been, doing a podcast.
We've had a very
busy last couple of months between some,city leadership transitions,
(00:54):
of course, the elections,and of course, just all the great things
that are happeningacross our departments in the community.
So, we're back at it with a great episodetoday featuring
two leaders of the IndianolaFire Department, Chief Greg Chia,
and newly announced Chief Aaron Hurt.
for those who may have been livingunder a rock or just hearing it
(01:14):
for the first time, Chief Chia will beretiring from his position as fire chief.
December 31st, 2024.
So we're recording this podcasta few days, before his retirement comes.
But, chief, just what's this?
What's this month or what has the.
This year, once your retirementannouncement became official,
(01:37):
kind of what's been goingthrough your head or what's what's this?
What's life been like for you?
Well, once I announced it and
submitted my, my letter to,
the city manager, it,
it really didn't hit me
until probably a couple of weeks ago
(01:59):
that.
You know what?
I'm not going to be doing this.
I won't be working,getting up every morning and working
and having a schedule
and having to report, to City Hall.
That's, that'll be a huge change.
It really will.
I've been really fortunate
(02:21):
to work for two organizations.
Des Moines and in Indianola, whereIndianola has been for the last ten years.
And, very professional people.
I've been, very fortunate
to work alongside and workwith, as colleagues.
(02:42):
So you've led the annual fire departmentfor nearly the past ten years or so.
From when you leftat your previous stop in Des Moines
when you first became firechief in Indianola.
How did that come to be?
Because you are an Indianolaresident, had been Indianola resident
when you were working in Des Moines.
But how didhow did you first get kind of your
your foot in the doorto lead the department?
(03:04):
Nearly ten years ago.
So coming in, you I you know what?
It was, a little of unknown territory.
I mean,I coming from a larger department,
even though I'd been a memberof the community for years,
and all my kids have grown up throughand came through the school system
(03:26):
and everything.
I really, really didn't have
a grasp on
the structure that I was coming into
and what was, going to be involved
just with the daily operations.
And, you know,I think that was really the,
the unknown for me. But,
(03:49):
things worked out.
And you know what?
I have to compliment the menand the women of the fire department.
And because I,
I really made some changes, I,
I, I put impose,I should say, some changes
that probably some of them didn't likeand some of them did like, and, you know,
(04:11):
it's, it's just one of those thingsthat they adapted and have excelled at it.
And that's, that's a compliment to them
and the quality of the employeesthat the city has.
What were some of those changesthat you implemented for the better?
As you look backthrough those developments and I know
listeners, Chief Cheer has givenplenty of great annual reports
(04:35):
to council, on a yearly basis,where a lot of this data
and this information is available.
But just as you reflect for some of those,changes that you're most proud of or
that were really needed for when you cameinto this type of structure, well,
some of the changes that,
probably seem very minor, but or big were
(04:57):
when we went to a career department,we used to have paid on call,
we had part time, we had, six career.
So now there are no paidon call personnel.
And that's, that's a version of,
I guess, volunteer.
(05:19):
They would
but that that's a huge step in itselfright there.
And now we've got including myself
and Erin and some of the,
the officers,which they never had full time officers.
We have six captains positions.
(05:41):
Those are, those were some ofthe bigger changes that I've taken.
The scheduling.
We've done a lot of thingswith the scheduling itself.
I mean, granted, we worked at 24, 48,
which is a normal operational shift,
but now we've got three captainsthat work eight hours during the day.
(06:03):
But there are specialized.
One is an EMS captainthat oversees everything
in that section of the department.
Then we have a fire marshal that oversees
all of those thingswith plan reviews and inspections.
And that that sectionof the department just
(06:24):
is huge and is
actually instrumentalin, safety in itself for the city.
The other one is the training,
and you know what?
I'm going to have to compliment ChiefHurd for that because he took that on.
That was a huge, huge, hugepart of the department.
(06:46):
And he took that onand straightened it out to
we had a whole year'sworth of training prior
to that year, and we would go throughand set up all of it.
Well, I should say he set it all upand structured it to where it made sense,
and everybody kept up to dateon their required hours.
(07:10):
And that that really was oneof the turning points for the department.
So chief her how did you do that?
How did you develop a planfor a more structured training schedule
and just opportunitiesthat could be, provided
to our firefightersand EMS professionals for the city
is the
greatest thing is I first had to identifythe needs of the department.
(07:34):
They're going to be they're going to varyfrom department to apartment.
And there were some very specificneeds that our department had.
The greatest thing that I did,
probably as far as trying to identifythose needs, was to look at the gaps.
One of those things that we were missing,the gaps that first and foremost,
influence our response to the citizens,
which is kind ofour primary responsibility.
(07:55):
And then the gaps, that, that createa safety issue for the firefighters
going back and finding those thingsthat need to be addressed and then looking
to the professional standards.
So the NFPA, is a valuable resourcefor the fire service
that we can look back in or look into.
They keep it updated.
And so it transitions throughout theyears to make sure that it's the most,
(08:17):
applicable that it can
be to the current environmentthat we're in,
referring back to those standardsand then trying to implement
those into our department,and adapt them to our department.
So that was kind of the keythat I look to.
I also had,joined a professional organization
which was the International Fire,Instructors Organization.
(08:38):
And they had severalthey had class that I could attend
that gave me a certification to becomea certified fire training officer,
which then gave me the knowledge basethat I needed to be able to then establish
a very good foundationfor the training program going forward.
And I would saythose were probably key to get started.
(08:58):
And then throughout the years,you just you sit back,
you talk to your firefighters,you observe the, service,
and you look for those areasthat we can tweak
to make improvements and, progressivelyimprove the training program that way.
I would say that would be, probably thethe major key to that with that,
being part of the metrohere, there's so many other departments,
(09:19):
and the contacts that chief had
that we could go back and reach out toif we needed to.
The relationships
that he had built over his 30 yearsbecame valuable to me, to lean into.
so that was advantageous as well.
And I think second on the
the fact of trainingsand we had one recently,
we were joined alongsidewith, some Des Moines Fire
Department professionalsas well as Altoona Fire Department.
(09:40):
Watched inon some specific type of equipment,
seeing if whether or notthat could be a piece of equipment
that Indianola could benefit from.
I mean, just talk about that type ofI mean, you talked, touched on it
a little bit with, contacts from,you know, those metro departments,
but also those that are kind of morerural around Warren County.
Just talk about that type of relationship.
(10:01):
And now you kind of leading the helm.
What that dynamic could look likemoving forward with that involvement
or just,the next steps for still having training
become be a priority for the IndianolaFire Department.
Yeah.
Our relationships with our, neighbors,rural
neighbors is key to our success on scene.
And part of that is thatwe have to lean into them, for support.
(10:23):
When we respond.
We don't have enough staffing resources,necessarily, yet at this point in our fire
department, to accomplish what we need toaccomplish is set by standards
and is set by just,
simple tasks that have to be doneand accomplished on scene.
And so and it's in those moments that wehave to lean into our mutual aid partners.
And they have they come alongside usand they support us.
(10:44):
Well,it is important for us to train with them
and to continue to train with them,to be able to, sort out that response
and to to achieve the best successpossible and also to identify
any of the gaps, leastthe safety issues that we may encounter.
But it's importantfor us to know how to work together.
So, yeah, that's certainly something
that we want to continueto train with those partners.
(11:05):
As far as the training with, Des Moines
and Altoona, Des Moines had had madean investment in a piece of equipment
that was designedfor fighting electrical vehicle fires.
And they wanted to share,
their knowledge of that piece of equipmentwith us, because certainly,
that's a rising issuethat we're dealing with.
They become quite a hazardand quite a different
(11:27):
problem to tackle when it comesto, to those types of fires.
They present some challenges that we werenot familiar with in the fire service.
And so, certainly have to go after itwith some different tactics.
And because they've employed that,
they were sharingthat piece of knowledge with us,
and they were also looking to adapt itmaybe to other situations,
to reduce the risk to the firefightersand to improve the incident operations.
(11:48):
And so that's what that exercisewas designed to do, was to test
that theory that they hadthat maybe would also work.
Not only for electrical vehicle fires,but also in structures.
And we tested it out.
We did get some very valuable
information,that, that, that fed those assumptions.
And so is it a piece of equipmentthat we're going to invest in
(12:10):
at this point in time?
Probably not, but we do have a futureknowledge of how it works.
And so, that that was importantfor understanding that.
And, and with that, it keeps usfrom spending money on equipment,
that maybe could be put elsewhereI think with opportunities like that
and a lot of the other initiativesand things that your department does day
in and day out
goes back to that, that tagline of,responding with integrity,
(12:33):
serving with compassion.
when you hear those words, what does thatphrase mean to the both of you?
Responding with integrity,serving with compassion.
As far as the firefighters,
that we have, again, I wouldI would echo what chiefs
of the firemen fire women that we haveare just incredible,
people, and put a significant effortinto their occupation,
(12:57):
significant effort into, the responsethat they give on a daily basis.
These are men and women of integrity,and you have to be in the fire service.
You we encounter the citizensin their most vulnerable moments.
We encounter themwhen they're sick and ill
and sometimes on the verge of deathand sometimes dying.
And we also encounter them when they're,maybe having a happy moment.
(13:22):
Such as, a pregnancyand a mother giving birth to a child, but,
very vulnerable momentsthat we are with these people.
And it is important that we have,people of integrity that,
are providing
care and looking after the, the citizens.
So responding with integrityis something that we have to do.
(13:43):
That's something that the communityhas to be able to depend on. And,
certainly we have that in our department
and then compassion again.
We, we deal with loss, most of the time.
So from a fire perspective,from an EMS perspective,
our, our purpose for being hereis somebody experiencing
(14:05):
a loss for the most point,
other than maybe the birththat I had talked about, which is, again,
and it is important at those timesthat we can
not only sympathize,but try to empathize with that person.
And in doing so,we can provide the best response
and help them get back on their feet
and begin that recovery process,whatever that looks like.
(14:25):
With the knowledge that Chief Czaja hasand just the years of experience
of going through likely dozens,if not maybe even hundreds
of those types of scenarios
and has you, begin your next chapter,as you know, a fire chief, chief hurt,
what are some of the thingsthat you have been able
to learn from Chief Czajathroughout kind of your career
(14:46):
so far to this pointwith the internal fire department,
but also as you begin to, be the guy,be the be the leader.
Chief,you had an amazing ability and has, has
and has an amazing abilityto, have a balance.
As the chief, you have a responsibilityto the city that is important.
You also have that same responsibilityto the responders.
(15:09):
That is important.
being able to juggle that responsibilityand to care for both
the people of the community, firstand foremost and then the responders,
and to be able to, bring that together,
sometimes can be met with challenges.
There's different needs,that exist there.
(15:30):
Chief made a huge investmentin was always very passionate
about professional development,which is ultimately why I was considered
in in and was offered and currently slated to serve in the position as fire
chief is he made a huge investmentin, not only developing me
through mentorship,but pushing me outside of my comfort zone.
(15:52):
Give me the stretch assignments and, allowing me to seek the education,
the higher educationoutside the department that was needed
to be able to learn the skill set and,
develop the knowledgethat I would need for this position.
And now as I move forward, I have a big responsibility on my
shoulders, but I have a strong foundationunderneath me that supports me.
(16:16):
Because of the investmentthat chief has made in me
and not just me alone,but just about every other individual
there in the department,I think, would echo that same statement.
He's been an incredible chief,for the nine years that we've had him.
He's made some, hugeimprovements, to the infrastructure.
Completely replaced our, apparatus
(16:39):
and has, built itin such that it was designed to serve
the citizens of this community again, you know, replaced a lot of our equipment.
We're currently looking forward to,
now adding a structure
that will help facilitate our response by,giving us the space
that we need to do the jobthat we're tasked to do for the community
(17:00):
and also to house the the equipment,which is in the millions of dollars,
and make sure that, it's well protectedand ready to serve.
And throughout all that, too,
I mean, calls to service, keep climbing,record breaking type numbers.
But your response timeis still at a phenomenal point
where you still can providethe department can provide that adequate,
service to meet and oftentimes exceed
(17:24):
the community's, expectationsin that vulnerable time of need.
I mean, chief,when you hear chief, her explain,
kind of what your leadership means to himand also kind of being, you know,
having many goals accomplishedfrom professional development firm,
not just chief, but,you know, the captains
and all the other, firefightermen and women with the department
(17:45):
and just all the other things
from the apparatus and everything else,just as you reflect
what are just some of those things thatyou're most proud of from from your team
and from Chief Hurt as he gets ready towithin these next couple of days?
You know,
like I said, be that guy, be you,be in your seat with big shoes to fill.
(18:06):
But, you know, bethe leader of the department
actually, you know, and that's that'sone of the things
that, Chief heard is, as pointed out, and
it's all based off of
your support systemif you don't have a support system.
And then when I mean by sayinga support system,
(18:28):
the individuals that you workwith in your family,
if your family is not supportingyou and your career,
you're, you're going to flounder.
And and that's unfortunate, but I thinkhe has a support system that's in place.
I've had a been very fortunateto have a support system
(18:50):
that's been in placethroughout my 40 years of doing this.
And, and you can't go forward.
And I think that's where we goback to the phrase of serving
and the servicewe provide to this community.
And, and it's based off
(19:10):
of those that criteria that, you know,
we want to be here,we want to provide that service.
We want to work, we enjoy our work,
even though
we're put in situationsthat aren't the best.
It's a it's a different mindsetand it's a different career.
And probably 80 to 90% of
(19:34):
the community doesn't understand
exactly what we're trained inand how we deal with it.
The situations,because we the fire departments.
I mean, if you just in the last20 to 30 years
have evolved greatly.
They're they're basically an all hazardsresponse
(19:57):
unit or department
because we get called for everything
vehicle wrecks, injuries,
downed wires,
hazardous materials, any type of spill
alarms.
It's that that that's it'sjust part of that evolution
(20:19):
that the, the fire departmenthave had to go through.
And if you don't keep up with that
evolving and being adaptable,
then you're, you're behind.
And that's when people get hurt.
Unfortunately, whether it's a communitymember or an employee.
(20:41):
What aboutthe moments of when I'm thinking,
like the more community oriented and,
you know,I've seen photos of you giving plenty of,
story times at the National Public Librarywith the kiddos there,
and just other momentswhere you are able to connect, with
both young and older community membersin those type of settings.
How vital are those
(21:04):
moments for professionals in your fieldto be able to connect
with the community in that type of manner,or that that's a big part.
It really is.
And, you know,and I don't even see it as giving back.
I just seeing as it's it'san education opportunity
for and for whatever age group it is.
(21:24):
Boy, that when we can get outin front of the community
and either promote something
or promote safety in a different way,
why not that that'sthat is part of our job.
That's a big part of our job.
And it should be.
And there's so many different initiativesfor me members to engage in,
(21:46):
like we talked about,
when those storytime opportunities come,they're not necessarily planned years out
in advance, but, you know, months workinghand in hand with, with Janice in the,
you know, public library team over there,but also with Public Safety
Night, the, October, that second week,that usually that second.
Thursday, October for the communityto come in and learn more about, you know,
the fire department and some of the otherpublic safety professionals.
(22:08):
And I mean, just talk more about and chieffor this, be more for you
more of those initiate is that the firedepartment provides for those educational,
events and opportunitiesfor young and old committee members to,
to engage in the best positionfor our fire department to move from,
as always, from a proactive pointinstead of reactive.
(22:29):
Again, a lot of what we do is reactive.
We respond to the calls
when the emergencies has already happened,when we can get out in front
and provide the informationthat the kids need to understand
how to respond if they find themselvesin an adverse situation.
Dealing with threats, we're goingto improve the outcome for them.
And that's ideally what we want to do.
And those are some of the storiesthat we don't get to
(22:49):
necessarily understand the outcomeand for a positive reason.
And that's how we would rather things be,when we start to see reduction in fires,
we know that we're doing something right,whether we're doing it from a, fire
department perspective.
Or maybe that's afrom a consumer safety perspective.
Same thingwhen it comes to car accidents.
(23:09):
And I think one of the things
that is most notable for me,when I started my career,
we used to have some pretty severe crashesalong highway 92, highway
65, 69 where people were seriously hurtor killed.
Since, with a lot of the consumer safetyand a lot of the, you know, public
safety initiatives that have happened,I've seen a significant reduction
in those don't near respondto what we used to.
(23:30):
And so, again, being proactive,getting out in front and try to stop,
identify the threats and stopthe emergencies is going to be
probably the best workthat we do as firefighters.
And paramedics.
For the elderly population, being therefor them, trying to prevent the slips,
trips and falls, that can sometimes be, crucial to their independent living,
(23:54):
and sometimes crucial to their,
quality of life going forward.
Those are these, these momentsthat we want to be there to, to intervene.
It you know what I I'm going to
mirror what Chief Hurd just said.
You know, even though we we do respond
(24:15):
service calls
or if we can get out and educate
and educate not only our own employees,
but the community that that'swhere it really starts.
And if we can get outin front of that ahead of things that.
So I mean, we have programswhere we have in fact,
(24:36):
we just, received a grant for,
smoke detectors and, and those are for
individual residentsand commercial residents.
Were there are independent living.
So yeah, with that, that's,that's that's where it starts.
And the safety issue starts and we,we if we can provide
(24:59):
and save one life boy that's that's huge.
That's next question was going to bring upwas regarding grant writing
because as you know cities
not just in you know,
but across the state,
you know with house file718 and just other, budget constraints
that, all organizations, publicor private sector have to deal with.
I mean, grant writing for the department,
(25:21):
for the Know fire Departmentspecifically has been a a phenomenal
aspect for you to be able to provide,whether it be, you know, opportunities.
I don't knowif that, was that smoke trailer or the.
Yeah, that smoke trailerthat was at Public Safety Night.
Was that partly funded through grants?
The smoke trailer was funded through, the Elks was a
big part of that here in town.
(25:42):
But there was a multiple communitypartners that were involved with that.
And, I mean, as we go forward, that'sone of the pieces here that have gotten
well used and is ready to belooked at, to be replaced.
And I know the council is doingwhat they can from the city's perspective
to put forth money, but the costit takes to produce these, tools
are an incredible amountbecause of what goes into them.
(26:05):
And so,
engaging with those community partnersand getting them to participate in that,
either through grants or, volunteerfunding for those projects are huge.
Yeah. And that type of equipment.
I know, chief, you've said thatCaptain Eric Wallace has been, a
phenomenal grant writer for the departmentand, Captain Thad White, recently
through the Warren County PhilanthropicPartnership, community
(26:26):
grants, I believe it was, this past weekor a couple weeks ago
with that role in rack, power,hose roller.
Just as you chief.
Look more into, kind of your crystal ball.
Into the future,just how important will grant writing
continueto be Because of the size of the city,
(26:47):
that grant grants are going to be a
an integral part of funding.
That's the unfortunately,that's the way it's headed.
And when we you know
what, when we started writing grants,I don't think there was
a whole lot of exposureto many of the employees.
(27:09):
And that's probably one of the thingsthat I pushed pretty hard and in,
in my way was, yeah, you're going to learnhow to write grants, and here's one.
You're going to start writing.
And this is the parameters.
And, some of them didn't like it,some of them did.
And now I think, you know what?
It's it's a norm now,
(27:31):
they know wewe put in for anywhere from eight
to probably 11 grants annually.
Some of them are really large,
dollar or dollar wise.
But if we can get 20%,
we're, we're doing a great job at it.
(27:51):
And that's about where we're at 15 to 20%.
We get,
you know, those the number of grants
that we submit applications to and,but it, you know, with,
with just some of the legislationand the restrictions now on, funding.
It's it's not just the city of in,
(28:13):
you know, all this departmentsare going to have to start,
filling out those applicationsfor grants.
And just that collaboration toI mean, Chief Hurt,
you talked about with the Elks and,you know, in in all nine
Lions Club is a phenomenal,community partner as well.
But there's so many, you know, dozensof others that we're, we're leaving out.
But as anyone moves forward,we have this shared
(28:37):
purpose, this common goalwe're always better together, right?
I mean, be able to live out our commonshared purpose
to improve and be there for our community.
So it just how just touch it a little bit,a little bit more.
Either for the both of you of justhow as any knowledge moves forward,
we have to be unitedand together to be there for one another,
(29:00):
whether it's in your most vulnerablemoment or being proactive to be prepared
for the next good thing, or that nextworst thing, being united is huge.
Engaging allthe stakeholders and getting them involved
is going to be key to, the winsthat we experience in this community.
(29:21):
One of the greater concerns that I haveor the weather changes,
the patterns in the weatherchanges, are as such that we're starting
to experience things such as the rateshows and, increased amount of tornadoes.
And so if you were to look at some of themodeling from even the early 90s to now,
they have intensified, intensifiedby quite a bit.
(29:44):
And it's these, engagingwith these partners, whether they be,
merchants, in commerceor whether they be,
volunteer groups,voluntary volunteer organizations,
such as the new lines and, Elks,some of the other partners.
(30:05):
So the churches and some of the communitygroups that are existing or,
or existing become key playersthat when these emergencies, do occur,
these are the ones that are out frontthat really make a difference
in their own community.
And so again, with the individual grantsthat they offer,
I don't think they understandthe value that it adds back.
(30:29):
And sometimes we try to captureas much as we can to give them feedback
and let them know how important, their decision to grant us funding
or to participate as a partneralongside us is,
but I don't thinkthat story is told enough.
And I think, you know, we we do the best we can.
But maybe,you know, getting those stories out
(30:49):
front, that's the advantageto having a, a communications department.
The city stepped up and provide us here
so that we can get our story out therea little bit more.
That's important for them to understand
and for them to understandthat they're appreciated.
But not only that,the value that it adds, in the moment,
to be able to respond and recover from,
(31:09):
any situation that we might be dealtwith. You.
So as we fast forward nowto next week, chief,
how excited are you for youryour party on December 30th?
And it'll probably play after the fact,but as you look forward to it,
I mean, you gotto be pretty pumped, right?
I think
you know what I think about that.
(31:34):
And,
I guess it's a standinglittle bit of joke on me.
I should have known. that.I didn't have a choice.
And having a group,because I had all I told all of the
the wonderful ladiesI work with and, City
hall that I did not want
(31:55):
a party.
And that when I was hired,I was given a key
and I would turn that keyin, and then I would go on my way.
Well, that's not occurring. So.
Yeah.
No, but I, I will enjoy itand I will enjoy seeing all the people I,
you know, what I am after, you know,
(32:15):
my career, I, I cannot,
I can't complain about anythingthat's I've enjoyed it.
Like I said earlier, I still enjoy it.
I enjoy being with the people.
I enjoy working with the people.
Are there pieces of it that I don't like?
Just like any career?
(32:35):
Yeah, but,
I, I cannot lie.
This is this is, I've been very fortunateto have such a career.
What are you looking forwardto the most in your retirement?
Following my grandbabies.
I got four boys,and they're all starting to,
(32:58):
participate
in all the extracurricular activities now.
So being with my family and.
But the grandbabies are something else.
They're.
They're fun to be around and watch themgrow up.
Well, we're excited to celebrate you,on both the 30th
and being there for youryour final call, for PM December 31st.
(33:22):
Chief, her just as you look back at thethe type of leader that chief cheer is.
Just what's one word that you would
describe him as you embark on this nextchapter of your professional career?
So many words that you could add to this.
So trying to pick one is just difficult.
(33:43):
Rattle off a just a few, then carryso many qualities.
He's, passionate.
He's dedicated.
Just I mean, there's.
Yeah, again, so many,so many things that just play
into his leadership over the years.
And it's been an incredible experience,
I think for me, for the fire departmentand for the city.
(34:06):
Certainly, been an asset certainlywill be missed as we move forward.
So, Well, lastly, I kind of wantto open up the floor for either of you,
but just any closing remarks or chief keyespecially, I mean, just
this is that platform to engagewith a lot of our community members and,
you know, being on the record of the,in the unplugged, our podcast here
(34:27):
for the city and just any kind of,closing remarks that you'd like to make.
I've enjoyed
being the
chiefof the and, you know, the fire department,
and I've tried to
and through whether it was guidance or,
(34:48):
just advice to
individuals in the department,
they've all been treated equally and fair,
and they've all been allowed to advance
as far as they wanted to.
That's that, that that's key for me.
(35:09):
Plus they need to be safe and.
Our our field of work,
if you do it long enoughyou're going to get a sustained
an injury whether in
unfortunately you try to
(35:30):
minimize that.
And as long as I believeand I do believe that
nobody has truly been injured,
that was debilitating.
In by any means,
(35:50):
whether it was, through mentally or,
physically.
I think that's, that'ssomething that you try to work toward
as a whether it's a
department director or the chief officer.
And those those are things that
that worry me daily.
(36:13):
I don't want to go
to someone who's family and say
they sustained an injury.
By doing their job.
That's that'sthat's a huge piece right there.
And I,I'm hoping that I've accomplished that
(36:38):
You know, yeah, again,I think safety is always going to be
the priority of our firefightersor our first responders.
Safety of our community.
And that's always out front,which is important because
public service is a little bit different
than business in the capitalist market.
You have to create a servicethat is not only efficient
(37:03):
so that it benefits the taxpayerthe best that it possibly can,
but one that's effective.
And so trying again, trying to strike thatbalance of what's efficient
but also effective and safefor the responders.
What's efficient and effective and safefor the community is where our hearts at
and when we approach the communityand we ask for funding or,
(37:26):
when we're trying to,
get out a program, start a new program,
it's always what's in the back of our mindis what's going to be the best option
here from that perspective,that we can take that 360
degree approachand might not always be the cheapest,
but it's what's necessaryto keep the community safe at the moment.
Might not always be the cheapestfor the firefighter, but necessary
(37:46):
to make sure that they go homeat the end of their shift to their family.
But certainly we always want to be
cognizant of the fact that we are stewardsof what the community entrusted
to us and make sure that we're doing itin the best way possible.
to give you an exampleof what he just said
when we when I got here, we changed PPE,
(38:08):
which is our personal protectivegear that we wear in a fire.
So there's, there's a trade off
and one of them is the thermal protection.
You can get a real high thermal protectionthat protects you
from the heat and everything.
And the contaminants,
but it doesn't breathe,
(38:31):
so you're retaining that heat.
So we have to make that balance of
and it's multiple layers of
or the garment is made of.
So we had to get a balanceof how high can we go
with the thermal protectionbut also make it
(38:53):
the garment wearable, where
that heat release from your own bodycan be released
rather than being encapsulated,and then causes its own problem.
While you're you may be protected
from the outside, but you're now you're
causing the problem internallybecause you're wearing that in.
(39:16):
And I think the equipment in that we have,
the equipmentthat they have now is top notch.
And they all love it just becauseof those decisions that we made.
And there was inputfrom everybody on this.
And yeah, those are the thingsthat I think that get missed.
(39:42):
What did you do for the department
or how could you make the departmentbetter that, that it that was a key
component in putting us forwardunless there's anything else.
I mean,I just want to thank the both of you
for taking time todayto hop on this episode of India
Unplugged and chief,I mean, I don't mean to speak for,
the entire city,but you will be sorely missed.
(40:04):
I think, selfishly, for me personally,I wish we,
you and I had more time together.
It wasn't until, like, last month
you were in my office and you noticed, the photo I had of my father.
You guys both with the same high school,same sports and all that stuff.
And you and I, we've crossed pathsearly on from, you know, your son and I
(40:25):
playing, called sports together, and,of course, been in high school.
So, I've seen your face in the standsfor a number of years, but.
So it's been great to be onon the same team on this side of things
professionally.
So I will definitely miss,having you as a colleague,
but know that you're just onequick phone call or text message away.
(40:46):
So Thank you, thank you.
thank you listeners for tuning infor this episode of India Unplugged.
Make sure that you leave us a comment.
Leave us a review.
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whether it be Apple Podcasts,Spotify, iHeart, you name it, we're there.
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