West Marshall Fire Department

After years of planning and the hard work of many people, the merger of the Harvey-Brewers Fire Department and the ENO Fire Department has been finalized.   Effective April 16, 2013, the Harvey-Brewers Fire Department & Elva, New Harmony, and Oak Level Fire Departments are merged and now referred to as the West Marshall Fire Department.  It will take some time to complete the transition to one system of government, but operationally we’ve been functioning as one Fire Department for quite some time.

As we all are well aware the fire service is fast paced and ever-changing.  We know from the first day in to embrace change and evolution, from our equipment to firefighting techniques and even to the operations of the departments themselves.  Several years ago I approached ENO with a proposal to merge with Harvey-Brewers and form one Fire Department.  During this time, many people have asked why a merger is necessary.  My answer is that it isn’t necessary.  Progress doesn’t require necessity to work.  There are many more reasons to consider consolidation with economic instability, waning manpower concerns, equipment redundancies, spending reductions, etc. as opposed to reasons not to merge.  However, let me assure you all this merger is not happening due to personnel, operational or financial despair of either department.  Both departments were functioning satisfactorily on their own.  With that being said, I’d like to take a moment to personally and publicly thank Doug Redden for the outstanding job he has done with ENO over the past several years.  Doug, as well as Jonathan Smith, will both represent the West Marshall Fire Department well as Assistant Chiefs. 

We will continue use of the “8” series of unit numbers and will discontinue use of the “12” series.  Due to the number of vehicles, there will be some changes in our truck numbering to accommodate.  As far as responses, all automatic mutual aid agreements still exist and no substantial changes should be noticed.  We will still depend on our neighboring departments for mutual aid as we always have, and hopefully this will blossom new opportunities for collaborative training efforts and improved operational relationships. 

We feel that this is a wonderful opportunity for us to grow as a Fire Department and continue to provide the level of service that our taxpayers deserve, while simultaneously reducing redundancies and streamlining operations.