4 Join Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory For The Long Haul
October 3, 2022 at 10:14 p.m.
4 Join Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory For The Long Haul
By David [email protected]
Keener is one of four new Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory (WWFT) firefighters. Also coming on board this past summer were Tristan Pass, Chad Bassett and Matt Koldyke.
Keener, 23, from Huntertown, went to Carroll High School and did some time at IPFW for nursing. He left the School of Nursing for firefighting. He started on the Huntertown Fire Department, a short time as a volunteer then quickly to part time, while a senior in high school. Two years after serving part-time, he was hired full-time by Huntertown Fire Department. After two years there full time he was hired by WWFT, with a hire date of Aug. 7.
Explaining why he went from nursing to firefighting, Keener said, “While I was in school, I worked on the ambulance a lot. And it’s still very interesting to me. I do like EMS. I’m an EMT basic, and I had spent some time going to standby at structure fires and watching the fire department do their thing.
“And that, in combination with, when I was younger ... my house burned down with my brother and my dad inside. My mom was working, and so I kind of have a deep connection with the fire department. Huntertown Fire Department was the department that responded to that primarily,” he said.
Everyone got out and were OK.
“So that early connection to the fire department, as well as just seeing them while I was working the ambulance, I was like, ‘Man, I really want to be a firefighter as well.’ I got my certifications and once a full-time position came up, I put in for it, got hired and decided that I wanted to be out in the world and serve the community in that fashion other than nursing,” Keener said.
An EMT basic, he would like to one day see himself as a paramedic, but that will take additional schooling and his department’s support. “If the opportunity arose and it worked out for everybody, I wouldn’t say no,” he said.
There’s a lot of certifications that WWFT operates under, which is one of the reasons Keener came to Warsaw. “I wanted to become a stronger firefighter and part of that is just being a more well-rounded responder. Getting those certifications. Getting to that technical level of operations, and though they are not something that happens every day, there’s not many people out that can operate in that capacity, so it’s more of a refined level,” Keener said.
He’d also like to get dive certified. The Tech Rescue Trench (TRT) and Structure Collapse is also very interesting to him.
“I’m not opposed to really anything. If something new came up here, if it sounds interesting, then I might see myself pushing to get into it,” Keener said. “I plan to do this until I retire.”
Pass, 21, from Leesburg, graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 2019 and went straight into the fire service. He has volunteered with the Plain Township Fire Department in Leesburg since graduating and was part-time at Warsaw as well. His hire date with Warsaw was Aug. 7.
Pass said he wanted to join the WWFT because he knows the guys fairly well.
“I took the high school class, got my Fire I and II. The instructor for that class was Max Kinsey and Joel Shilling and they work here, so I got to do a lot of training with the guys. I like the area, it’s where I’m from,” he said.
When he was a high school junior, Pass’s dad joined Plain Township as a volunteer. Pass rode with him and saw what he was doing, so he tried the high school class and found his calling.
Pass said he’s willing to try almost any and all the training. “Tier 2 stuff I really like - confined space. I’m a small guy, so I don’t freak out too bad. I like that. See where it takes me, really,” he said.
Bassett, 33, grew up in the Wabash area and went to Southwood High School. He got on the Lagro Township Volunteer Fire Department and obtained his EMT certification and worked for Personal Care Ambulance Transport in Kokomo. After a couple years working there, Bassett earned his paramedic certification and got on the Wabash Fire Department for four years. He transferred to Warsaw June 13.
“There’s a lot more opportunity for all the rescue teams and things that they get to do here with their technical rescue team, swift water, high-angle, confined space, then the dive rescue team as well, and still being able to use some of my paramedic skills since I get to work on an (Advanced Life Support) engine as well,” Bassett said of why he made the move to WWFT.
He said he’s known he wanted to pursue a full-time firefighting career since he was a little kid.
“I either wanted to be a firefighter or a cop. I made the right choice actually,” Bassett said.
Even though he had experience being on the fire department at Wabash, Bassett was still one of the rookies at Warsaw this year.
“The guys here have been very, very helpful. Very nice and made a pretty easy transition for me,” he said.
Bassett said he likes the most challenging or different aspects of firefighting the most. Pass agreed and said he likes variety on the job.
Bassett and Pass said they see themselves being with the WWFT a long time. Bassett said he could see himself as a trainer of other firemen down the road as a way to give back.
The most rewarding thing about being a firefighter?
“When you do get that save, or you get someone back, or you rescue someone out of a burning house or whatever it may be. When it actually comes out good and you were a part of making that happen, that’s rewarding,” Bassett said.
“It’s a very fulfilling job,” Pass stated. “Being able to be there on someone’s worse day and doing everything you can to make it better.”
Bassett is married with a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter in Huntington County. When he’s not working, he likes to golf, hunt, fish and be outdoors.
Pass enjoys hunting, kayaking and other outdoor activities.
Koldyke, 32, grew up west of Silver Lake and graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 2008. Four years ago, he was asked to join the Burket Fire Department as a volunteer, where he still volunteers.
“As soon as I got on there and started going on runs, I realized it was something that I could see myself doing full time,” he said.
As soon as he got onto Burket, he got into his Fire 1 and 2 classes through Warsaw. After those classes, he jumped into EMT classes through Lutheran.
The hiring process opened up at Rochester Fire Department and he was hired full-time there in 2021. A year later, a WWFT position opened up, he applied and was hired.
“I was looking for a bigger department, more runs, specialized teams, dive team, TRT, a lot of good training, a lot of good instructors,” Koldyke said.
“I believe I want to stay here. I like the size of the department, I like this group of guys and the three stations. The number of guys per shift. I enjoy this size of department.”
A firefighter and EMT basic, Koldyke said he still has to do rope rescue tech and confined space rescue training. While he’s required to get them, he said he’s also excited about them. Down the line, he’d also like to be an instructor.
“I’m still open-minded to dive team and technical rescue stuff,” he said.
Celebrating his seventh wedding anniversary next month to Shelby, they have three boys, ages 4, 3 and 3 months, who love to visit the fire station.
His brother is a volunteer at Atwood Fire Department and his brother-in-law is a lieutenant at WWFT.
His advice to anyone interested in a career as a firefighter is to start out through a volunteer department.
“It’s a good way to help your community and also you get access to all the training that you need. You need the certifications to get on a full-time department for the most part around here. Listen to the guys who have been on the department for a long time. They can give you a lot of good information. They’ve learned a lot throughout the years so you might as well learn from them by listening to them,” Koldyke said.
Keener is one of four new Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory (WWFT) firefighters. Also coming on board this past summer were Tristan Pass, Chad Bassett and Matt Koldyke.
Keener, 23, from Huntertown, went to Carroll High School and did some time at IPFW for nursing. He left the School of Nursing for firefighting. He started on the Huntertown Fire Department, a short time as a volunteer then quickly to part time, while a senior in high school. Two years after serving part-time, he was hired full-time by Huntertown Fire Department. After two years there full time he was hired by WWFT, with a hire date of Aug. 7.
Explaining why he went from nursing to firefighting, Keener said, “While I was in school, I worked on the ambulance a lot. And it’s still very interesting to me. I do like EMS. I’m an EMT basic, and I had spent some time going to standby at structure fires and watching the fire department do their thing.
“And that, in combination with, when I was younger ... my house burned down with my brother and my dad inside. My mom was working, and so I kind of have a deep connection with the fire department. Huntertown Fire Department was the department that responded to that primarily,” he said.
Everyone got out and were OK.
“So that early connection to the fire department, as well as just seeing them while I was working the ambulance, I was like, ‘Man, I really want to be a firefighter as well.’ I got my certifications and once a full-time position came up, I put in for it, got hired and decided that I wanted to be out in the world and serve the community in that fashion other than nursing,” Keener said.
An EMT basic, he would like to one day see himself as a paramedic, but that will take additional schooling and his department’s support. “If the opportunity arose and it worked out for everybody, I wouldn’t say no,” he said.
There’s a lot of certifications that WWFT operates under, which is one of the reasons Keener came to Warsaw. “I wanted to become a stronger firefighter and part of that is just being a more well-rounded responder. Getting those certifications. Getting to that technical level of operations, and though they are not something that happens every day, there’s not many people out that can operate in that capacity, so it’s more of a refined level,” Keener said.
He’d also like to get dive certified. The Tech Rescue Trench (TRT) and Structure Collapse is also very interesting to him.
“I’m not opposed to really anything. If something new came up here, if it sounds interesting, then I might see myself pushing to get into it,” Keener said. “I plan to do this until I retire.”
Pass, 21, from Leesburg, graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 2019 and went straight into the fire service. He has volunteered with the Plain Township Fire Department in Leesburg since graduating and was part-time at Warsaw as well. His hire date with Warsaw was Aug. 7.
Pass said he wanted to join the WWFT because he knows the guys fairly well.
“I took the high school class, got my Fire I and II. The instructor for that class was Max Kinsey and Joel Shilling and they work here, so I got to do a lot of training with the guys. I like the area, it’s where I’m from,” he said.
When he was a high school junior, Pass’s dad joined Plain Township as a volunteer. Pass rode with him and saw what he was doing, so he tried the high school class and found his calling.
Pass said he’s willing to try almost any and all the training. “Tier 2 stuff I really like - confined space. I’m a small guy, so I don’t freak out too bad. I like that. See where it takes me, really,” he said.
Bassett, 33, grew up in the Wabash area and went to Southwood High School. He got on the Lagro Township Volunteer Fire Department and obtained his EMT certification and worked for Personal Care Ambulance Transport in Kokomo. After a couple years working there, Bassett earned his paramedic certification and got on the Wabash Fire Department for four years. He transferred to Warsaw June 13.
“There’s a lot more opportunity for all the rescue teams and things that they get to do here with their technical rescue team, swift water, high-angle, confined space, then the dive rescue team as well, and still being able to use some of my paramedic skills since I get to work on an (Advanced Life Support) engine as well,” Bassett said of why he made the move to WWFT.
He said he’s known he wanted to pursue a full-time firefighting career since he was a little kid.
“I either wanted to be a firefighter or a cop. I made the right choice actually,” Bassett said.
Even though he had experience being on the fire department at Wabash, Bassett was still one of the rookies at Warsaw this year.
“The guys here have been very, very helpful. Very nice and made a pretty easy transition for me,” he said.
Bassett said he likes the most challenging or different aspects of firefighting the most. Pass agreed and said he likes variety on the job.
Bassett and Pass said they see themselves being with the WWFT a long time. Bassett said he could see himself as a trainer of other firemen down the road as a way to give back.
The most rewarding thing about being a firefighter?
“When you do get that save, or you get someone back, or you rescue someone out of a burning house or whatever it may be. When it actually comes out good and you were a part of making that happen, that’s rewarding,” Bassett said.
“It’s a very fulfilling job,” Pass stated. “Being able to be there on someone’s worse day and doing everything you can to make it better.”
Bassett is married with a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter in Huntington County. When he’s not working, he likes to golf, hunt, fish and be outdoors.
Pass enjoys hunting, kayaking and other outdoor activities.
Koldyke, 32, grew up west of Silver Lake and graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 2008. Four years ago, he was asked to join the Burket Fire Department as a volunteer, where he still volunteers.
“As soon as I got on there and started going on runs, I realized it was something that I could see myself doing full time,” he said.
As soon as he got onto Burket, he got into his Fire 1 and 2 classes through Warsaw. After those classes, he jumped into EMT classes through Lutheran.
The hiring process opened up at Rochester Fire Department and he was hired full-time there in 2021. A year later, a WWFT position opened up, he applied and was hired.
“I was looking for a bigger department, more runs, specialized teams, dive team, TRT, a lot of good training, a lot of good instructors,” Koldyke said.
“I believe I want to stay here. I like the size of the department, I like this group of guys and the three stations. The number of guys per shift. I enjoy this size of department.”
A firefighter and EMT basic, Koldyke said he still has to do rope rescue tech and confined space rescue training. While he’s required to get them, he said he’s also excited about them. Down the line, he’d also like to be an instructor.
“I’m still open-minded to dive team and technical rescue stuff,” he said.
Celebrating his seventh wedding anniversary next month to Shelby, they have three boys, ages 4, 3 and 3 months, who love to visit the fire station.
His brother is a volunteer at Atwood Fire Department and his brother-in-law is a lieutenant at WWFT.
His advice to anyone interested in a career as a firefighter is to start out through a volunteer department.
“It’s a good way to help your community and also you get access to all the training that you need. You need the certifications to get on a full-time department for the most part around here. Listen to the guys who have been on the department for a long time. They can give you a lot of good information. They’ve learned a lot throughout the years so you might as well learn from them by listening to them,” Koldyke said.
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