Fire chief John Morel and trustee Jason Holliday are dwarfed by the Decatur Township Fire Department apparatus waiting for the next emergency call from the main fire department building.
(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY STEVE PAGE)
(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY STEVE PAGE)
 By Steve Page Correspondent Better service. That, says John Morel, is his goal as the new Decatur Township fire chief. He was recently promoted to this position, and he’s ready to get moving. “My goal?” he asked in response to a question. “To ensure the service we provide to the public; I definitely want to work on improving our service to the population, to the community. “With three fire houses, we’re pretty busy. We want to be sure to provide that service. The challenge is planning ahead.” It’s quite a challenge, given those three fire houses: The main one just off the Decatur Central High School campus, then 3750 S. Foltz, Station 74; and 8315 W. Mooresville Rd., Station 73. “And our portion of Heartland Crossing,” added Morel. “It’s a busy area, for sure.” It’s all made a bit easier by township trustee Jason Holliday, whose office is located in the same building that houses the fire department. “We’re blessed with a trustee who works with us.” Morel continued. “We have a collaborative effort. It’s definitely not a one-man show. It helps, having a trustee and the board. “We have an amazing fleet of apparatus. I’m glad we’re able to showcase that. We have three ambulances and three engines, one ladder truck on loan from 73. “We have 82 personnel operating in three shifts. We have an administrative staff of nine personnel. Chief Venable is our director of operations. They’re 24 on, and 48 off shift rotation. “We have two division chairs who are training safety EMTs. They’re out on the street. They’re making runs as well to supplement those services.” It’s all those runs that are essential. “We make over 8,000 runs a year, and two-thirds are EMS runs,” Morel said. “The call volume is countless daily – 15, 16 runs a day,” said Holliday. “The bulk of the shift is transporting someone somewhere. We try to have a new ambulance each year. We ordered one in 21, 22, it didn’t get here until 2023.” “The ladder (truck) is a 2019 piece. In October ’23, we had two new engines. The truck we got in 2023 has 76,000 miles already.” Morel and his wife Sandi, adult children Kyle and Kyla and granddaughter Laura live in Decatur Township. He began his career in 1991 in Wayne Township before joining the DTFD in 2003. Before being promoted to chief, Morel served as a lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, division chief of training and deputy chief of administration. Of all that equipment he now directs, Morel said, “We’re making sure what we do have is maintained. It takes three years just to get an apparatus. Those are all things that are not under our control. Every year, we’re maintaining a high level of readiness for fire and EMS. That keeps us pretty busy. All those assessments come into play. It’s busy, that’s for sure. As busy as we are, we still need public education experiences.” |  Decatur Township Fire Chief John Morel in his office.  Staying put The chief and the trustee said the DTFD is not interested in becoming part of the Indianapolis Fire Department. “We’re not in a financial situation,” Holliday said. “That’s not in our plans to seek out a merger with the city. We’ve heard from the community. They would not be supportive of it.” Added Morel: “We have no intentions, no plans to seek out a merger with Indianapolis, or anybody else.” This is a rapidly growing community. “In the next three to five years, there will easily be 1,500 more residents in the township,” Morel said. “Our goal is to meet those needs before we get to that point. We’ve got to continue to grow our department.” There is outside help. “Plainfield and Madison Township are great partners for us,” Morel said. “We’re working with them while keeping abreast of the growth in Decatur Township.” |
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