Greencastle, Indiana - July 2004
Featuring areas of gently rolling hills, plains, and picturesque streams, the city of Greencastle has been the Putnam County seat in south Central Indiana since 1823, two years after its founding. One of the jewels of Greencastle is the campus of DePauw University. Designated an "All American" city in 1991, Greencastle has grown around the 655-acre university which was founded in 1837. DePauw is ranked in the top tier of liberal arts colleges in the country. Greencastle also boasts Eli Lilly's first pharmaceutical store.

Unique Program Helps With Funding
Fire Chief Bill Newgent has used some creative ways of obtaining funding for his departmental needs. One of the most unique is the Friends of the Fire Department program . Chief Newgent, along with late councilman Mike Rokicki, developed this nonprofit organization to raise awareness and funding for training, capital expenses, and fire prevention. The not-for-profit status has opened up opportunities to access grant monies that were formerly untouchable. Introduced in late 2001, the program is comprised of a 9-member Board and 30 "friends"-primarily local businesses. These "friends" serve as a sounding board and are generally interested in the welfare of the department and its prevention programs. Within 8 months of its introduction, the program raised enough money to buy a new safety house for the department. Most recently, they have used funds to purchase a thermal-imaging camera, and created a fire prevention training video that is used in schools. The program has received wide acclaim and will be featured in the July issue of Fire Rescue Magazine.

Healthy Personnel Is Priority
Fire Chief Bill Newgent has led his 34-member department for the past five years. The department protects a 35 square-mile area encompassing not only the city, but the entire township. The health and fitness of his personnel has been a priority and his diligent efforts have succeeded at getting funds budgeted for a health and fitness program which he plans to continue to develop. Currently, every member receives an annual complete physical and blood work, hearing, vision, lung function, resting EKG, and treadmill evaluations for those over age 40. "Very small departments have very large runs. I expect 110% from my firefighters 110% of the time. As a small department, they have to know how to do everything on their trucks. Implementing a health and fitness program will help their endurance in these areas," states the chief. Ultimately, he has witnessed happier, healthier personnel who use less sick time as a result of their new focus on nutrition and fitness.

His department receives complimentary access to the exercise facilities of DePauw University and has exercise equipment at their station. He has recently applied for a FEMA grant to fund a physical fitness training program. "I want to take care of my firefighters. They are our #1 asset and that should be our #1 goal," emphasizes the chief.

Do What You Can
Financing a health and wellness program is a challenge for many departments acknowledges the chief. He encourages departments to make it a priority. "Even if you can provide even the smallest of support to ensure the health of your personnel, it is critical," says the chief. "It can enhance the department's endurance at the critical time of need by improving their health and personal morale. The bottom line is, it's the right thing to do."

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