Fire Department

The Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) was established as a paid department in 1900 and currently serves the community with 117 employees, located at 5 stations, responding to over 6000 emergencies per year. BFD provides fire suppression, technical rescue, and emergency medical response capabilities to City residents and visitors, Indiana University, and surrounding communities through aid agreements.

BFD is the largest and only fully paid fire service provider in Monroe County and as such has earned an Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating of 1/1X, placing the department in the top .5% of rated departments in the U.S. and the top .2% of rated departments in Indiana.  

Mission

The City of Bloomington Fire Department is committed to providing honorable, professional, and safe responses to all emergency and non-emergency calls of the community that we serve.  We are dedicated to minimizing the loss of life and property through the advancement of public safety with excellent fire prevention, risk reduction education, investigation, code enforcement, fire suppression, emergency medical service, and rescue.

Vision

The City of Bloomington Fire Department pledges to meet all national standards in a sustainable manner in order to be a leader in Monroe County and exceed our Citizen’s expectations.

Administrative Division

The Administrative Division is actively involved in acquisition and management of the necessary tools to safeguard the safety and property of the City of Bloomington and surrounding communities. Headed by Fire Chief Roger Kerr, the Division is committed to serving the employees of the Department and the public through the areas of Human Resources, Finance, and Procurement.

• Fire Chief: Roger Kerr   firechief@bloomington.in.gov
• Deputy Chief: Max Litwin   deputyfirechief@bloomington.in.gov
• Assistant Chief of Administration: Tania Daffron    assistantfirechief@bloomington.in.gov
• Assistant Chief of Operations: Jason Zeeks   assistantfirechiefops@bloomington.in.gov
• Fire Logistics Officer:  Josh Blackwell   logistics@bloomington.in.gov
• Office Manager: Edie Henderson  fireadmin1@bloomington.in.gov
• Part-time Administrative Assistant: Natalie Blais  fireadmin2@bloomington.in.gov

Operations Division

Perhaps the most visible component of our department, the Operations Division consists of 102 full-time sworn firefighters who operate on three shifts.  Each shift work 24 hours and has a 48 hour break between shifts.  Our three shifts ensure the Citizens and Visitors within the City of Bloomington receive quality emergency response services.  Each shift is lead by a Battalion Chief who supervises six Captains (one per large apparatus).  Those Captains supervise a full-time Chauffeur (Driver/Operator), and three firefighters.  Our department is the only one in the region to maintain a minimum staffing standard of four personnel per large apparatus.  What this means is that every BFD fire apparatus will arrive with no less than four full-time sworn firefighters.     

Our Goal:  Provide excellent around-the-clock emergency response services to the community consistent with national response and safety standards, including fire suppression, technical rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS), in order to save lives, protect property, and minimize impact on the environment.

• A-Shift (Gold) Battalion Chief: Skyler Pittman   fireopsbca@bloomington.in.gov
• B-Shift (Black) Battalion Chief: Scott McKnight   fireopsbcb@bloomington.in.gov
• C-Shift (Red) Battalion Chief: Kyle Koons  fireopsbcc@bloomington.in.gov

Prevention Division (Community Risk Reduction)

This critical component of public safety is the most proactive portion of the department and seeks to limit losses to life or property through Engineering Controls, Education, and Enforcement.  We provide comprehensive plan review services in conjunction with the Monroe County Building Department and City Planning Department to ensure all developments are safe from fire and life safety hazards.  In addition, we complete compliance inspections of commercial and industrial properties, food trucks, and the many restaurants within the City.  These inspections find and correct hazards to help prevent fires before they occur.  One final aspect to prevention is public education.  Our Fire Prevention Officer serves as the primary external instructor for Indiana University, our schools, businesses, and citizens who want to learn about risk reduction. 

Our Goal: Educate the community about fire prevention and safety in order to reduce the number of preventable accidents/fires. Conduct classes, seminars, and demonstrations for schools, business and industry. Perform inspections of all commercial buildings and provide comprehensive plan reviews / final inspections for new and upgraded structures.

• Fire Marshal: Tim Clapp   firemarshal@bloomington.in.gov 
• Deputy Fire Marshal: Jeff Yutmeyer  deputyfiremarshal1@bloomington.in.gov
• Deputy Fire Marshal: Chuck Cohenour   deputyfiremarshal2@bloomington.in.gov
• Community Engagement Officer: Tom Figolah  fireprevention@bloomington.in.gov

Training Division

Headed by Battalion Chief of Training, the Training Division consists of a staff of nine shift instructors dedicated to providing the best training available for fire service professionals. In 2016, BFD ensured they met all of the training requirements outlined by the Insurance Service Office (ISO) which equates to 420 hours of training per person annually.  Since establishing this goal, the department averages over 40,000 hours of training per year.  Every sworn member of the department maintains emergency medical certification, with all but four employees having a minimum of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).  This added responsibility requires a minimum of 24 hours per person annually. 

Beyond annual refresher training our department is recognized by the Veteran's Administration as a certified training center and approved on the job training provider which allows Veterans to use their education benefits to receive training.  We also provide a large assortment of State certification courses.  Every new firefighter undergoes a recruit academy to ensure they start their careers as fully certified firefighters to include EMT.

As a professional department we maintain a career progression plan with time in service, time in grade, certification, experience, and testing criteria for those who wish to promote.  We focus on competency over certifications and education but as a well-rounded program we understand that it takes all of the components to ensure the safety of our citizens and firefighters.

Our Goal:  Increase firefighter safety by providing a recurring, coordinated, consistent and comprehensive training program for all members that meets or exceeds NFPA, OSHA, or other guiding entity standards, in order to improve service delivery methodology, reduce firefighter injuries, and ensure the safety of the community.

• Battalion Chief of Training: Travis Drescher    firetraining@bloomington.in.gov
• Captain of Training:  Kenny Hinkle   firetraining@bloomington.in.gov

MIH Program

The MIH team is comprised of Community EMTs who strive to improve quality of life for the residents of our city by connecting them with care and resources that they need when they need it. 

Wherever you may call home, the MIH team works to bridge the gaps in healthcare and services to help you, as a resident of Bloomington, recover, age in place, and/or improve quality of life.

• Program Manager/Community EMT:  Shelby VanDerMoere  firemih@bloomington.in.gov
• Community EMT:  Lily Blackwell
• Community EMT:  Trisha Rademachir
• Community EMT:  Amber Stewart
• Community EMT: Daniel Stidd
• Community EMT: Luke Glendy
• Community EMT: Shy Hunter