Greensburg, located 47 miles southeast of Indianapolis, is the county seat of Decatur County. Established in 1822, the city is populated by 13,000 citizens.

Tower Tree City
One of the city's most well-known features is the series of large tooth aspens growing off of the courthouse tower roof. Since 1870, these trees have mysteriously grown from the roof 110 feet off the ground. The current tree is the 11th tree to grow in the over 130-year span. The phenomenon earned the city the nickname of Tower Tree City.

The courthouse also serves as a popular stumping ground for political candidates. Its most famous candidate was Robert Kennedy who visited the site one month before his assassination.

Fire Department Plans for Growth
Greensburg Fire Chief Scott Chasteen, in response to the Honda announcement, has been in communication with other city and town fire chiefs who've had similar corporate announcements. One of the biggest impacts the department may need to address will be the congestion from extra traffic. Such increases could lead to the potential for more EMS runs. The department's goal right now is to grow the department to keep up with the growth in the community.

Preparing the Personnel
The fire department prepares its personnel by providing the opportunity for any outside training necessary. Additionally, they require 1-2 hours of skills training a day for all personnel, and 1 hour of daily physical fitness training while on duty. Their special teams include Hazmat, confined space, rope, and even ice rescue in response to the number of retention ponds and ice fisherman in the community.

Physical health is important to Chief Chasteen. "Anything you can do prior to a problem existing is important for preventative maintenance," says the chief. When he became chief 3 years ago, he sought a program that could lead to significant changes/improvements in the health of his personnel. The department complies with the OSHA and NFPA standards for occupational health programs and has instituted annual physical examinations for all personnel.

Medical Evaluation Program Has Made a Difference
Over the years, the results have been promising. There has been an over 16% drop in cholesterol levels in the department, blood pressures have been held below national averages, the entire department has elected not to smoke, and overall cardiovascular disease risk factors have decreased or held steady as a department.

Chief Chasteen likes what he sees. "By providing our personnel with a medical evaluation program, we're able to educate them in advance. I don't want to wait for a problem to arise. If we can prevent just one person from having a significant health problem, we've done a good thing," remarks the chief.

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© 2006 Public Safety Medical Services