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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
Bonnie was an amazing dispatcher. We extend our condolences to the Reeder Family.
It is with great sadness to announce that Porter County Central Communications has lost one of our dedicated, hardworking, and passionate dispatchers. We thank her for 27 years of service to Porter County. We will miss Bonnie dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
Yesterday’s 24 foot boat fire. Marine 1 on the scene.
Marine 1 on the scene of a 24ft boat fire. All occupants jumped in the water to safety and are on another boat that came to their aid.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Do you love Halloween?
Are you creative?
Love to carve pumpkins?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you've got one week to enter the new Light Up the Gourds! Illuminated Pumpkin Trail hosted by the newly formed Portage Event Partnership.
Gather your co-workers, friends, buddies, amigos and get to carving. Let your imagination run wild and share your creativity with residents.
The drive-thru event will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24, along the Central Avenue entrance drive to the Bonner Senior Center. Admission will be free.
We are calling on business, individuals, groups, non-profits, schools and others to get imaginative and create Halloween scenes which will be placed along the trail. Entities can enter a scene, comprising 75 percent pumpkins or other seasonal gourds to be placed along the trail. The scenes must be lit.
Deadline to enter is Oct. 16.
An entry form, including rules and guidelines, is attached to this post. For additional details or call city hall, 219-762-5425 or email [email protected] for an entry form or more information.
The winners will receive Golden Pumpkin awards for the best scenes in each category.
Hose Advancement Training this week at Garyton School training ground.
Hose Advancement Training this week at Garyton School training ground.
Portage Indiana Government Page
UPDATE: Recycle Porter County announced Thursday that in addition to Household Hazardous Waste, it will be collecting plastic bags at its final collection day of the season Saturday.
Recycle Porter County will host its final Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day of the season on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Porter County Expo Center, 215 E Division Rd, Valparaiso.
Household Hazardous Waste or “HHW” are unwanted products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients that require special care upon disposal. The District sponsors collection days throughout the year that allow Porter County residents to safely dispose of these materials.
Acceptable materials include household cleaners, pesticides, kerosene, gasoline, oil-based paints, antifreeze, solvents and much more. *Please Note: Tires and electronics will NOT be accepted at this Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day. Latex paint will also NOT be accepted.* A longer list of accepted items can be found at www.portercountyrecycling.org or ask about your item in the comments below and we will let you know if it can be accepted at our HHW events!
(Residents are advised to use caution and continue to observe all social distancing guidelines.)
The Story of Sparky the Fire Dog
Share the story of Sparky the Fire Dog® with your students in this classroom storytime. This read-aloud will help teach your students about fire safety. Get ...
Fire Prevention week is October 4-10th
Portage Firefighters Local 3151
Your Portage Firefighters responded to a small HVAC fire at Texas Corral this afternoon. No injuries and the building itself sustained no damage. No details on when they will open.
Thank you @PorterCountyCentralDispatch for your assistance.
Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana
IAFF Foundation
Portage Fire Department
Thank you to IDHS and Tim Layton for bringing Indiana Department of Homeland Security Sim Lab to PFD this week. Our crews really enjoyed the training experience.
#portagefirelocal3151
#idhs
#simlab
#indianahomelandsecurity
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 1-31, your Portage Firefighters will be wearing pink shirts each shift in support of breast cancer awareness.
https://www.iaff.org/toolkits/breast-cancer/
https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-facts
#iaff
#breastcancerawareness
#portagefirelocal3151
Portage Streets and Sanitation
Our sanitation department continues to audit routes for compliance of the recycling policy. This is a very laborious process of inspecting and documenting violations. In most cases, as policy violations are found and documented, we usually give reminders/warnings to the resident and corrections are made. In extreme situations with multiple non-compliant items found within the container, the department confiscates the Green Lid container.
The City of Portage does NOT receive funds/monies from collected materiel. The recycling program is “FREE” and not mandatory to participate. Our recycling efforts help offset the costs of trash at the landfill and has been a benefit to the tax payers of Portage since 2013.
The ENTIRE recycling industry has become very stringent with the material that we are collecting. When non-recyclables (TRASH) are found among the recyclables during inspections, the load is “REJECTED” and all material goes to the landfill.
Changes take place beyond our control and adjustments must be made to accommodate compliance with the recycling industry.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in these important policy changes.
https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/news/topics/coronavirus/
Portage Indiana Government Page
This week crews will be practicing on rescuing firefighters that have become incapacitated inside of a building on fire. A rapid intervention team is deployed to the inside of the building to locate, evaluate and package the firefighter in distress while an exterior team sets up a ladder and a basic rope system to assisted in extricating the firefighter from the building. This technique can be used on a building up to three stories tall.
Portage Indiana Government Page
Sunday Spotlight
Each Sunday we will feature a project going on within the city, happenings within a department or someone who works hard to provide services to the community. This Sunday, we talk to Portage Fire Chief Tim Sosby who will be retiring in November after 31 years of service to the city.
Portage Fire Chief Tim Sosby said he never set out to be in the fire service.
He was talked into it, he said, adding that talking led to him finding his passion to serve people.
After 31 years of service with the Portage Fire Department, Sosby, 58, will be retiring Nov. 5.
After high school, Sosby said he worked in his dad's hardware store, first in Munster, then in Cedar Lake.
Paul Zimmerman, a Cedar Lake police officer and director of the town's ambulance service encouraged Sosby to join the department.
"He stayed on me to be a volunteer. One day, he asked me and I said 'alright.' They sent me to EMS school and I fell in love with it," said Sosby.
"In my opinion, I don't think there is a better job," he said.
He left Cedar Lake and went to Fagan Miller, a private ambulance service. They sent him to paramedic school. He was hired by Portage in November 1989.
"Portage had a good reputation at the time and I think we still do," he said.
He became assistant chief of EMS in 1994 and served his first stint as chief from 2001 to 2006.
Then he stepped back and hopped back on a rig, serving the community and helping people on their worst days.
In 2014, he was named assistant chief of fire; in 2018 he became acting chief and last year he again took the top position in the department.
The changes in the fire/EMS service and the Portage department during Sosby's tenure are nearly too many to remember.
When he was hired, he was one of 8 paramedics. Now there are 51. The department itself has grown from 45 people working out of two stations to 62 working out of three stations.
One of the biggest changes was putting paramedics on the back of the engines. That allows the city to send paramedics to five calls at one time.
"For a community of 40,000, that's outstanding," he said.
Ambulances - now called Rescues - have changed. There's more technology, more equipment. Changes in policy and procedures have allowed paramedics to do more in what amounts to a mobile emergency room now than when Sosby started. That amounts to saving more lives, he said, especially when it comes to heart attack and stroke victims.
Firefighter safety has also moved to the forefront. They adopted carcinogen standard operating procedures when it was found firefighters have a greater risk of developing some sorts of cancer due to their exposure to toxins. Firefighters got a second set of gear, so they could wash the first set after a fire call and use wipes to remove as much grime and possible carcinogens as soon as possible.
They've added exhaust systems to the stations and promote self-contained breathing apparatus utilization more than ever before to improve the health of firefighters.
Sosby said he believes Portage has always been at the forefront of EMS service in the Region, often being the first department to adopt proven protocols to improve patient care.
Three years ago Sosby said he decided to retire. State pension requirements allowed him to stay that three additional years.
"It was just time. Firefighting is a young person's game," he said.
"I feel blessed and fortunate. Even in the most difficult times I've enjoyed the job," said Sosby, who will continue work to improve firefighter's lives through his part-time business Lakeshore CPR and Safety Training.
"I'm going to miss a lot. I've been fortunate to do a lot of things here. I'm going to miss being able to make change. I'm going to miss going out and helping people and I'm going to miss a lot of the people here. We have really great people here who are really good at their jobs," said Sosby.
Never Forget all the lives lost September 11, 2001.
Portage Police Department (Indiana)
Please join us at Founders Square on Tuesday October 6th for the National Night Out. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in a fun and relaxing setting. Officers will have various displays of equipment and vehicles as well as demonstrations from our K-9 unit. The event will start at 4:00pm and run until 7:00pm. Please wear masks and maintain social distance when possible.
Portage Streets and Sanitation
City auction is scheduled at 9am, Saturday, September 12 at the Street Department. Keep in mind that the railroad crossing on Hamstrom just south of the main access road to the department is closed for upgrades. Attendees of the auction will need to use alternate routes such as Samuelson, McCool or Crisman to Portage Ave. All attendees will need to be advised to practice social distancing and face masks/coverings are required during the auction.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security
When creating your preparedness kit, make sure you think about the little ones and your furry friends! Here are a few things to include for each.
More preparedness kit tips and ideas at bit.ly/3hR2Bt2. #NatlPrepMonthIN
@NIPSCO
All three of our crews have been training on vehicle extrication this week.
All three of our crews have been training on vehicle extrication this week.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security
Communication is crucial during a disaster. That's why Hoosiers should spend time with loved ones during #NatlPrepMonthIN and create a family emergency communication plan!
Not sure how to get started? Visit https://bit.ly/3hR2Bt2 and download our templates!
US National Weather Service Chicago Illinois
Dangerous swimming conditions expected at southern Lake Michigan beaches today and tonight due to enhanced wave activity.
Indiana Department of Transportation: East Central
We are people too. With families and loved ones to go home to. Help us in our effort to make sure we all go home at the end of the day. #workzonesafety
Portage Indiana Government Page
The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazards statement beginning tonight and through Saturday night. Please stay out of the water.
LAKESHORE HAZARD MESSAGE
National Weather Service Chicago IL
Lake IN-Porter-
316 AM CDT Fri Aug 28 2020
...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...
The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Beach
Hazards Statement...which is in effect from late tonight through
late Saturday night.
* LOCATION...Lake and Porter County shores of northwest Indiana.
* HIGH WAVE ACTION AND DANGEROUS SWIMMING CONDITIONS EXPECTED.
* FORECAST WAVE HEIGHTS...3 to 6 feet increasing to 5 to 8 feet.
* STRONG RIP CURRENTS AND STRUCTURAL CURRENTS EXPECTED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Remain out of the water to avoid dangerous swimming conditions
and do not venture out onto piers, jetties, breakwalls, or other
shoreline structures. Please check with your local authorities on
potential beach closures.
Helping our 8th graders with a science experiment.
Willowcreek Middle School Watermelon Drop: 8th grade science experiment
Edit: The watermelons start to drop at the 4:00 mark. The teachers dropped five watermelons. One was covered in plastic wrap, one was covered in bubble wrap, and two were covered in Line-X plastic from 100ft in the air to showcase each type of plastic's resistence to impact. The experiment was live-streamed for the students. Watch the video to see the results!
Portage Firefighters Local 3151
It’s that time of the year again!
Your Portage Firefighters have the 2020 breast cancer awareness shirts for sale!
Shirts are $15, Small through 4X, Short and Long Sleeve.
See the attached flyer for more info!
EMS Pediatric Training at PFD the last 3 days. Thank you to FF/Paramedic Jordan Bucy for instructing
Indiana Dunes National Park
ATTENTION: Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Beach is Temporarily Closed for 3 weeks. The parking lot and pavilion area is still open. Please plan accordingly. Beach nourishment is scheduled to begin on August 27th at Indiana Dunes National Park’s Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk area. This work, sometimes called sand nourishment, involves placing dredged sand, obtained from other locations, onto beaches to repair damage caused by erosion.
While the public is invited to watch the work from the safety of the pavilion, the beach will be temporarily closed so heavy equipment can safely move the sand into place. The rest of Portage Lakefront, including the pavilion, the Dig the Dunes Trail Stop food operation, breakwater, riverwalk and hiking trail will remain open. Work is expected to take at least three weeks.
This project has been funded through the reallocation of operating funds at Indiana Dunes National Park. While the beach nourishment method normally must be repeated over time, this demonstration project will help prove the concept that sand nourishment is the most effective and environmentally appropriate solution to beach erosion and, unlike rock walls or shoreline armoring techniques, does not cause damage to neighboring stretches of beach.
For more information on beach access at Indiana Dunes National Park, contact the park’s information desk at 219-395-1882 or go to the web page at nps.gov/indu. For up to date information on available beach parking, call 219-395-1003.
3401 Swanson Rd
Portage, IN
46368
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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.
Thank you for the drone video of the Easter Bunny Drive Thru. 4 Fans Aerial Photography provided the footage. Happy Easter to all.
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.
SLICER RS Train the trainer March 7, 2016. Controlling the door and flow path on doll house prop. Thank you to South Haven and Portage Fire Instructors for attending class today.
Porter County Sheriff's Police vs Portage Firefighters Hero Night at Valparaiso University Basketball game.
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 Rd
City of Portage Street and Sanitation Departm
2303 Hamstrom Rd
Portage Police Department (Indiana)
6260 Central Ave
Portage Township Schools Transportation
3300 Airport Rd
Portage Township - Brendan Clancy, Trustee
3484 Airport Rd
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commis
6100 Southport Rd
Portage Department of Parks & Recreation
2100 Willowcreek Rd
Greenways & Blueways of NW Indiana
6100 Southport
Portage Indiana Government Page
6070 Central Ave
City of Portage: Storm Water Board - Field Fo
2301 Hamstrom