Versailles, In. —
Versailles Fire Department statement regarding the Proposed Fire Territory:
As Chief of the Versailles Fire Department, I would like to first thank our volunteers. The Versailles and Johnson Township communities are blessed with a large number of trained volunteers that are willing to donate their time and efforts in the service of others. I am very disappointed in the short-sightedness of the Johnson Township Board as shown by their vote against the Fire Territory last night. The board missed a chance to fix a serious problem our community faces but instead allowed themselves to be bullied into burying their heads in the sand. Our volunteers respond to far more emergency calls than any other volunteer fire department in the county and for the answer to be they must do more is ridiculous. The Versailles Volunteer firefighters are very well trained and are very good at what they do, you can see it as they perform on emergency scenes and I am very proud of them. The comment, “We Appreciate What You Do”, was heard throughout the hearing process but, it was hollow and empty as shown by the lack of real support for our volunteer firefighters as most of the comments in the hearing were attacks directed towards these volunteers and the fire department.
This problem will not go away and if not addressed will only get worse. The Versailles Fire Department cannot maintain the current level of service at the current funding levels. We cannot promise that our current ISO Rating will be maintained during the next audit process. If this rating is lost there will be a significant property insurance increase to the business owners and residents of our community.
Ben Sieverding
Chief
Versailles Fire Rescue
