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Fire Prevention
Headshot of Larry Tillman

Our Mission

The Mission of the Gary Fire Department is to protect the Lives and property of the citizens of Gary from fires, natural disasters and hazardous incidents; to save lives by providing emergency medical services. We will partner with the community to mitigate risks and respond to all calls for service with knowledge, dedication and compassion. We will provide a work environment that values wellness, cultural diversity and is free from harassment and discrimination.

The department will accomplish this mission while maintaining a high regard for the safety and health of our personnel, and maintain a high standard of training and education, maintain fire department facilities and apparatus, administer to the fire service work force, and interact professionally with other city departments and divisions.

- Larry Tillman, Gary Fire Chief

Supportive Services
The supportive services branch of the Fire Department encompasses five divisions. These divisions are: Building & Grounds, Technical Services, Community Risk Reduction (Fire Prevention/Investigation), Training, and Vehicle Maintenance. Each of these divisions play an important part in the ongoing daily operations of the fire department.

The City currently operates seven engine companies, three ladder trucks, and five ambulances across the City on any given day. The Gary Fire Department is housed in buildings across the city. The city's oldest station, station #3, is almost 100 years old the newest station located at 4959 Pennsylvania will open 2020 housing station 5 . Maintaining these facilities is our team of personnel from Buildings and Grounds

In 2019, the Gary Fire Department provided 21,809 calls for service. These are EMS, Fire, HAZMAT and any other special calls. 6,073 were fire calls, and 16,909 were EMS. The EMS division provides emergency and non-emergency medical services to the citizens of Gary and those visiting our community. These services will be delivered with a commitment to compassion equality and respect.

The Gary Fire Department (Fire Prevention Bureau) is under the leadership of the Chief fire inspector. It is staffed by sworn personnel who are dedicated in preventing or reducing fire losses and ensuring compliance with applicable city and state code and ordinances.The goal of the CRR is to protect the city from fire hazards by providing programs that adhere to hazard mitigation public education and fire regulations.To achieve this goal the CRR responsibilities include and are not limited to

• Conducting fire safety inspections at schools, business, high rise buildings, health care facilities and public assembly spaces.

• Public education and awareness programs

• Conducting inspections of new construction, tenant improvements, and automatic fire protection systems

All modern business have grasped technology and have become dependent on computers. The fire department likewise has followed suit. The Technical Services Division sets up and maintains the computer network that the administration of the department uses to maintain daily operations. In addition, the Technical Service Division provides record management to meet reporting requirements by the State of Indiana's EMS Commission and State Fire Marshal. The Technical Service Division programs install and repairs the radio communications, and will provide emergency operation center, in local events and disaster operations.

The primary mission of the Training and Research Division is to provide on-going training, education and certification to fire service personnel necessary to insure a competent, efficient and effective emergency response organization. The Training Division is staffed by a chief of training drillmaster and department personnel who are State of Indiana instructors who assist with academy instruction and continuing education of the department.

The Training Division also encompasses the EMS Division, staffed by an EMS director and training coordinator. They are responsible for training new recruits to become State of Indiana certified EMT’s and also provide continuing education to the department's EMS personnel.

The Fire Academy is located at 2702 W 35th Ave.

Lastly, the department has over 40 vehicles in its fleet. The Vehicle Maintenance Division is responsible for maintaining this fleet in ready to respond condition. The Vehicle Maintenance Department is located in City Gary Vehicle Maintenance building on west 11th Ave.dy to respond condition. The Vehicle Maintenance Department is located in City Gary Vehicle Maintenance building on west 11th ave.

Buildings and Grounds

Assistant Chief Carl Oren

Technical Services

Assistant Chief Garry Kotvasz

Fire Prevention/Investigation

Assistant Chief Dwayne Hull

Training Assistant

Chief Robert Grady

Drill Master - Chief

Ken Whitt

Vehicle Maintenance

Jason Ketchem

Emergency Medical Services

Assistant Chief James Morris

Dive Master

Captain Dave Evans

Fire Chief Larry Tillman
ltillman@gary.gov

Contact Information Telephone
911 – Local Emergency
219-881-5252 – Administration/Fire Chief’s Office
219-881-5220 – Fire Prevention Bureau
219-980-3651 – EMS Administration
Fax 219-886-3052 – Administration Ofc.

Postal address:
200 East 5th Avenue, Gary, IN 46402-1309

General Information:

garyfire@gary.gov

DIVISIONS

The Gary Fire Department is divided up into three main divisions. The division of Fire Suppression & Rescue is the largest division in the department. It is the division that routinely interacts with the public. This division is divided into three turns (shifts) which staff 7 engines, 3 trucks, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The Division of Emergency Medical Services is the busiest division of the department responding to over 21,000 emergency calls per year. The Supportive Services Division, as its name implies, supports daily operations in both the Fire Suppression and EMS divisions.

Administrative Staff

FIRE CHIEF
Larry Tillman

ltillman@gary.gov

CHIEF OF THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
Joseph Jamrok

DEPUTY CHIEF
Mark Jones

majones@gary.gov

FISCAL
Lizette Taylor

Manager
llewis@gary.gov

FIRE PREVENTION/SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
Mgr. Pam Perez

pperez@gary.gov

BUSINESS MANAGER
Lizzette Lewis

EMS DIRECTOR
Stanley Steele

EMS TRAINING OFFICER
Jose Serrano