The Portage FD is a career fire department comprised of 62 firefighters, providing fire protection and ALS ambulance service to the citizens of Portage.
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The Portage FD has 3 firehouses. We operate 2 ALS Engines, 1 ALS Quint (ladder), 1 ALS Tower Truck, 3 Rescues (ALS ambulances), a Dive/Rescue Truck, a 36' Fire Boat and a personal water craft. The City of Portage is an approximately 36 sq. mile city along the southern shore of Lake Michigan with over 36,000 residents. It's diverse landscape is comprised of residential, commercial and industrial properties along with a beautiful lakefront and international shipping port.
Operating as usual
Portage Firefighters Local 3151
Your Portage Firefighters received a generous donation in toys, hats, gloves, monetary values, to be provided with our Shop with a Firefighter program.
Thank you @Aquestive and Christopher Jacobs for the generous donation to our program!
Portage Fire Department
Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana
Motor vehicle crash on Boulder this morning.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Here are a few photos from Saturday's Mistletoe on Main event.
Thanks to everyone who came out to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus or donated a toy to Toys for Tots.
Thanks Portage Events Partnership, Portage Kiwanis and Portage Township YMCA for hosting the event. Thanks to the Portage Fire Department for supplying a fire engine and rescue. Thanks to the Portage Police Department for helping in traffic control. And a huge thank you to Terry Ellis for spending endless hours making sure all of the plugs worked and the tree lighting went off without a hitch. It truly takes a village!
It was a crisp, but beautiful day and everyone had fun!
Portage Indiana Government Page
Drive through and see Santa! Toys for Tots drop off and Kiwanis chili and hot dogs available until 5:00!
Come see Santa and help fill the ambulance for Toys for Tots! 1-4:30 Founders Square.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Want to be kept informed of what's happening in your city? Have you signed up for the city's new notification system?
The city has upgrading its notification system in an effort to keep residents better informed of happenings throughout the city.
We have selected Hyper-Reach to bring residents the latest information on city news, events, activities or emergencies.
Residents can register to receive notifications through a mix of telephone calls, texts and email messages. TTY/TDD service for the hearing impaired is also available.
Enrolling in the new system is fast and easy and residents are encouraged to enroll now either by calling or texting “Alert” to (219) 203-1861 or by going to the website http://hyper-reach.com/inportagesignup.html. Residents can choose what kind of notifications they wish to receive and through which method they are delivered during enrollment.
Residents can also download the Hyper-Reach Anywhere app on their smartphone. Hyper-Reach Anywhere is a free smartphone app that allows individual citizens to manage and monitor the alerts they receive, both for their home and office addresses and for other addresses they care about such as those of elderly relatives or friends.
Landline phones are automatically enrolled for community alerts, but weather alerts to landline phones and community and weather alerts to mobile phones and email addresses are only included when people enroll.
Please take advantage of the new notification system and enroll as soon as possible.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Portage will celebrate Christmas, the arrival of Santa and lighting of the Christmas tree in a safe, socially distanced celebration on Dec. 5.
Portage Event Partnership, Portage Kiwanis Club and the Portage Township YMCA are partnering to provide the holiday event beginning at 1 p.m. and culminating in the lighting of the city's Christmas tree at 4:30 p.m. All events will be held in the area of Founders Square Park and will be COVID-19 friendly and socially distanced.
Residents can enter the drive-through event on Buckley Way off Central Avenue. Volunteers will direct traffic and signage will direct visitors to the various activities.
Santa will be perched on top of a fire engine parked adjacent to the pavilion at Founders Square from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children will be able to leave their vehicles for a brief, socially-distanced photo opportunity with Santa. Santa will also distribute candy canes in a non-contact manner using a specially-designed candy cane slide.
Members of the Portage Kiwanis Club will also be collecting new, unwrapped toys in an effort to Fill the Ambulance for their annual Toys for Tots drive. Those donating a new toy will receive a ticket for one food item. The food, chili, hot dogs, water, hot chocolate or coffee, can then be picked up at the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce office in a limited-contact manner. The office is located at 6340 E. Main St. Additional food items may also be purchased for a nominal cost from Kiwanis at the Chamber office. Kiwanis will donate a portion of the proceeds from the food sale to Toys for Tots and the remainder will benefit local projects, such as their dictionary project.
As visitors await their visit with Santa, members of the Kiwanis will be selling ornament kits and members of the Portage Township YMCA will be selling cooking decorating kits. All volunteers will be masked and will have been screened prior to participating in the event.
At 4:30 p.m., Santa and Mayor Sue Lynch will light the city's Christmas tree, which will be located outdoors this year on the grassy area between Fire Station 3 and the Portage Police Station. Limited parking just north of the grassy area may be available for those who want to witness the tree lighting. Limited parking will be available dependent on weather.
The tree lighting ceremony will also be videoed and be available on the city's page for all residents to enjoy.
In addition to the Dec. 5 activities, the Portage Event Partnership will be sponsoring a Christmas House Decorating Contest. The deadline for the free registration is Dec. 16. Photos of the homes will be posted on the Portage Event Partnership page. Votes will be calculated by the number of "likes" each home receives. Voting will be held from Dec. 18 through Dec. 26. Trophies will be presented to the first and second place People's Choice winners, through the voting. Portage Event Partnership will also present a Committee's Choice award. To register, send a photo of your fully-decorated home to [email protected]. The home decorating contest is free.
For additional information on the Dec. 5 events, please contact City Hall at 219-762-5425.
Dress accordingly in cold weather.
US National Weather Service Chicago Illinois
[3:55 AM Sun Nov 29]
Lake effect snow showers are expected to develop tonight and will persist through Monday night before tapering off on Tuesday morning, mainly into portions of northwest Indiana. Snow totals could be a bit higher into parts of the Illinois shore including parts of the city of Chicago, but confidence in this remains lower at this time. Reduced visibilities and slick roadways will be possible.
Please make sure your real Christmas Tree’s have water.
https://youtu.be/26A-49Wb2F4
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), more than 200 home fires each year start with a Christmas tree. In this video, NIST fire resear...
Portage Indiana Government Page
Portage will celebrate Christmas, the arrival of Santa and lighting of the Christmas tree in a safe, socially distanced celebration on Dec. 5.
Portage Event Partnership, Portage Kiwanis Club and the Portage Township YMCA are partnering to provide the holiday event beginning at 1 p.m. and culminating in the lighting of the city's Christmas tree at 4:30 p.m. All events will be held in the area of Founders Square Park and will be COVID-19 friendly and socially distanced.
Residents can enter the drive-through event on Buckley Way off Central Avenue. Volunteers will direct traffic and signage will direct visitors to the various activities.
Santa will be perched on top of a fire engine parked adjacent to the pavilion at Founders Square from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children will be able to leave their vehicles for a brief, socially-distanced photo opportunity with Santa. Santa will also distribute candy canes in a non-contact manner using a specially-designed candy cane slide.
Members of the Portage Kiwanis Club will also be collecting new, unwrapped toys in an effort to Fill the Ambulance for their annual Toys for Tots drive. Those donating a new toy will receive a ticket for one food item. The food, chili, hot dogs, water, hot chocolate or coffee, can then be picked up at the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce office in a limited-contact manner. The office is located at 6340 E. Main St. Additional food items may also be purchased for a nominal cost from Kiwanis at the Chamber office. Kiwanis will donate a portion of the proceeds from the food sale to Toys for Tots and the remainder will benefit local projects, such as their dictionary project.
As visitors await their visit with Santa, members of the Kiwanis will be selling ornament kits and members of the Portage Township YMCA will be selling cooking decorating kits. All volunteers will be masked and will have been screened prior to participating in the event.
At 4:30 p.m., Santa and Mayor Sue Lynch will light the city's Christmas tree, which will be located outdoors this year on the grassy area between Fire Station 3 and the Portage Police Station. Limited parking just north of the grassy area may be available for those who want to witness the tree lighting. Limited parking will be available dependent on weather.
The tree lighting ceremony will also be videoed and be available on the city's page for all residents to enjoy.
In addition to the Dec. 5 activities, the Portage Event Partnership will be sponsoring a Christmas House Decorating Contest. The deadline for the free registration is Dec. 16. Photos of the homes will be posted on the Portage Event Partnership page. Votes will be calculated by the number of "likes" each home receives. Voting will be held from Dec. 18 through Dec. 26. Trophies will be presented to the first and second place People's Choice winners, through the voting. Portage Event Partnership will also present a Committee's Choice award. To register, send a photo of your fully-decorated home to [email protected]. The home decorating contest is free.
For additional information on the Dec. 5 events, please contact City Hall at 219-762-5425.
From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
Please Wear It
Volunteers demonstrate the 1-10-1 rule for cold water survival and why it’s vital to always wear a life jacket. For more advice, watch the full length video called Cold Water Boot Camp USA at www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1qbnToHhuE #LifeJacketsWornNobodyMourns
Age old question.
https://youtu.be/dtLkIAW1jpc
We could all use a break from 2020. So in a more lighthearted approach to Learn Something New™ by NFPA Journal®, this month we explore why most firetrucks ar...
Portage Indiana Government Page
The City of Portage has just completed upgrading its notification system in an effort to keep residents better informed of happenings throughout the city.
We have selected Hyper-Reach to bring residents the latest information on city news, events, activities or emergencies.
Hyper-Reach is a state of the art mass notification system and will become fully operational at the end of today, replacing the city's present notification system.
Residents can register to receive notifications through a mix of telephone calls, texts and email messages. TTY/TDD service for the hearing impaired is also available.
The system sends thousands of these messages to geographically targeted households within seconds.
Enrolling in the new system is fast and easy and residents are encouraged to enroll now either by calling or texting “Alert” to (219) 203-1861 or by going to the website http://hyper-reach.com/inportagesignup.html. Residents can choose what kind of notifications they wish to receive and through which method they are delivered during enrollment.
Residents can also download the Hyper-Reach Anywhere app on their smartphone. Hyper-Reach Anywhere is a free smartphone app that allows individual citizens to manage and monitor the alerts they receive, both for their home and office addresses and for other addresses they care about such as those of elderly relatives or friends.
Landline phones are automatically enrolled for Community alerts, but Weather alerts to landline phones and Community and Weather alerts to mobile phones and email addresses are only included when people enroll.
Please take advantage of the new notification system and enroll as soon as possible.
Crossroads Family Church,
Thank you to Pastor Bean and Crossroads Family Church for making every firefighter a card. The gesture is much appreciated.
Please give emergency responders and disabled vehicles some space.
Thank you to Precoat Metals for donating turkeys. Duty crews working Thanksgiving will love them.
Portage Fire Marine 1 this afternoon helped a Windsurfer in trouble off Wells St Beach. Thank you to Gary Fire/ EMS, National Lake Shore, and Coast Guard Station Michigan City. The gentleman is doing just fine.
Indiana Public Safety Peer Support
1 (855) 447-8776
Text the word SAFE to 494949
[email protected]
https://ipsps.org/
#Repost @bluehelple with @get_repost
Rescue Diver Greg Garner reviewing Ice Rescue equipment in trading today. See safe ice chart attached in photos.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Mayor Sue Lynch swore in Randy Wilkening as the city's newest fire chief during Tuesday's Board of Works meeting.
Wilkening, a 26-year veteran of the department, was named to the post following the retirement of Tim Sosby.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Former Portage Fire Chief Tim Sosby was recognized at a small retirement party last week recognizing his 31 years of service to the City of Portage.
Mayor Sue Lynch, State Rep. Chuck Moseley, members of the fire department and members of Sosby's family gathered at Station 3 to honor Sosby.
Portage Fire Paramedics taking Pediatric Advanced Life Support class yesterday.
Portage Fire was on scene of a structure fire this morning on Stagecoach Road. Thank you to all our mutual aid departments for the tanker assistance. Burns Harbor, South Haven, Porter, Ogden Dunes, Union, and National Lakeshore.
Ladder 1 recovering the US Flag at Portage Post Office.
Retirement of Chief Tim Sosby:
The Portage Fire Department would like to acknowledge the service of Fire Chief Tim Sosby. The Portage Mayor, Sue Lynch, the Portage City Council, and the Portage Fire Department would like to congratulate Fire Chief Tim Sosby on 31 years of service to the City of Portage.
Over his 31 year career, Chief Sosby has served as a firefighter/paramedic, Engineer, Lieutenant, Assistant Chief of EMS, Assistant Fire Chief Fire Operations and Fire Chief. Tim spent much of his career in the fire administration. His was promoted to serve as Fire Chief in 2019 and also served in that capacity earlier in his career for a total of 5 years as Fire Chief.
Tim Sosby implemented a new concept of Advanced Life Support Engine Companies, he submitted for and was successful in receiving many multi-agency grants, and he drove the implementation of priority dispatch that has been adopted by many local departments. Tim has worked hard to protect the men and women of the department from cancer by limiting their exposure to carcinogens. His vision to create a physical fitness program and annual checkup has proven to identify and avoid some serious health issues for our firefighters. His accomplishments have had an indelible impact on the Portage Fire Department and have made it among the best in the nation.
Chief Sosby, the men and women of Portage Fire Department would like you to know they are proud of the department you led and are now leaving. Congratulations and best wishes on your retirement from Portage Fire Department and good luck in your new endeavors. The City of Portage and your fraternal brothers and sisters thank you for your service.
Portage Indiana Government Page
The Light Up the Gourds! Illuminated Pumpkin Trail Golden Pumpkin awards were presented this week.
Portage Fire Department received the Golden Pumpkin for the Best Overall Scene. Jones Elementary School received the Golden Pumpkin for the Best Theme and Fegely Middle School was recognized with a Golden Pumpkin for its originality.
Congratulations to all three winners and thank you to all who participated to make the inaugural event, sponsored by Portage Event Partnership, a success.
Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana
Remember to change your clock back an hour before heading to bed tonight. After changing your clock, don’t forget to check the batteries in your smoke detectors. Smoke detectors save lives.
Halloween Safety!
Photos from Portage Fire Department's post
3401 Swanson Rd
Portage, IN
46368
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Portage Fire Marine 1 this afternoon helped a Windsurfer in trouble off Wells St Beach. Thank you to Gary Fire/ EMS, National Lake Shore, and Coast Guard Station Michigan City. The gentleman is doing just fine.
Portage Fire was on scene of a structure fire this morning on Stagecoach Road. Thank you to all our mutual aid departments for the tanker assistance. Burns Harbor, South Haven, Porter, Ogden Dunes, Union, and National Lakeshore.
Yesterday’s 24 foot boat fire. Marine 1 on the scene.
Hose Advancement Training this week at Garyton School training ground.
All three of our crews have been training on vehicle extrication this week.
Thank you Lutheran Air for the assistance with a single motorcycle crash this afternoon.
Practing advancing a charged hose line upstairs.
Thank you to University of Chicago Aeromedical Network and Washington Township Fire Airport Unit assisting with a scene landing on I-94 this evening.
UCAN taking off from LZ in the Port of Indiana.
Thank you to Girl Scout Troop 35456 taking time this morning to sing Christmas Carols to PFD crew on duty.
Duck Rescue
Station 3 ready 24/7 365. Thanks Firefighter Roy Johnson for the video.
Congratulations to Assistant Chief Kevin DeYoung taking his Oath of Office from Mayor John Cannon this afternoon. Kevin is a 12 year veteran of the Portage Fire Department, Indiana Licensed Paramedic, SWAT Medic, and District 1 Fire Academy Commander. Congratulations on your new position.
Congratulations to Assistant Chief Tim Sosby sworn in as fire chief this afternoon by Acting Mayor Sue Lynch.
Communication Training
Communications Training
Lutheran Air 3
Thank you Firefighter Aaron Wirtz for being a good sport and helping during the Portage Police K-9 demo. The children at the YMCA enjoyed it!
Wetting Ceremony for the new 2018 Rescue Ambulance from Braun Industries in Van Wert, OH. The apparatus will serve as Rescue 1 at Station 1 on Swanson. This unit serves as an Advanced Life Support unit providing EMS care to citizens as well as firefighters during structure fires and rescue calls. The new apparatus also is equipped with Stryker Power Load System to load the cot in effort to reduce injuries to our crews. The Wetting Ceremony goes back in tradition to the late 1800’s when firefighters washed the horse drawn units and then pushed them into the station to place them in service.
Throw back Thursday Training with Rescue Team from Offshore Power Boat Tour
Nipsco commercial filming Nipsco
Ice Rescue Sled training with Engineer Jason Seifert and Firefighter/Paramedic Greg Adair
Ice Rescue training with sling, Firefighter/ Paramedics Greg Adair and Vic Mercaldo
Thank you to Lutheran Air for your assistance this morning.
Fire chief for the day Micheal Delgado forcing a door. A basic firefighter function. He did an awesome job!
Woodland Park Summer Camp, Stuffed animal first aid and CPR.
Demonstration on how flammable smoke can be in a fire setting. SLICER RS Train the trainer, March 7, 2016.
Portage FD Water Rescue, Search and Recovery
3401 Swanson RdThe Church of Jesus Christ is Online
2797 Bryant StPortage Township School Corporation
6240 US Highway 6Notre Dame Football Heritage Project
5303 Central Ave.Portage Township - Brendan Clancy, Trustee
3484 Airport RdPortage Indiana Government Page
6070 Central AvePortage Township Schools Transportation
3300 Airport RdExchange Club of Portage, Indiana
PO Box 255
Greenways & Blueways of NW Indiana
6100 Southport
Portage Indiana Government Page
6070 Central Ave
Portage FD Water Rescue, Search and Recovery
3401 Swanson Rd
Portage Township - Brendan Clancy, Trustee
3484 Airport Rd
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commis
6100 Southport Rd
City of Portage Street and Sanitation Departm
2303 Hamstrom Rd
Portage Township Schools Transportation
3300 Airport Rd
