Gary laid off 35 firefighters over the past month -- 20 percent of its force -- and neighboring departments expect that it could lead to an uptick in mutual aid calls in 2011.
Like most communities, Gary has mutual aid agreements with neighboring communities, including Hammond, Hobart and Merrillville. It allows the city to call its neighbors for help when it gets overwhelmed by multiple fire calls.
Even before the layoffs, Gary faced problems with some of its aging engines and equipment.
Hobart Fire Chief Brian Taylor said his department has a mutual aid agreement with Gary, but neither side has requested assistance from each other in recent years.
"And I haven't seen any surge in the past few weeks," Taylor said.
Hammond Chief Fire Investigator Kevin Margraf said his department gets only about a handful of mutual aid calls from Gary every year.
"Typically, on Cline Avenue, passersby will call in an accident," Margraf said. "We may stop by if we're closer to it to put the fire out. Also, on (Interstate) 80/94 between Burr Street and Cline Avenue we may get the call as well.
"But going into Gary and assisting them, it doesn't happen much."
Mutual aid calls follow a basic pattern, Margraf said. Gary or any other community requests help and alerts dispatchers, who contact the Assistant Chief on duty and they determine what the situation is. Police meet fire engines at the border and escort them to the scene. Mutual aid agreements don't have any financial structures built in.
"There is no cost involved, no fees," Taylor said. "Basically, communities agree to help each other. It would be pretty bad to charge them since we may need their help the very next day."
Fees aren't typically charged for fire calls, unlike ambulance calls, so mutual aid calls do cost a department money. Margraf said that Hammond is pleased to help, but a sharp increase in mutual aid calls could mean higher costs for other financially strapped departments. "It depends on how much taxpayer money in Hammond do you want to ship out," Margraf said. "It's a gray area."
Taylor said it's a tough time for cities and towns everywhere, but public safety is a priority. "With the layoffs of all of these guys, they may end up having larger need but we're happy to help," Taylor said.