Several years ago City Council appointed an ad hoc committee whose purpose was to investigate options and make recommendations to Council with regards to the City’s fire service. This committee thought it would be beneficial to have a citizen survey with regards to fire service. In September, 2008, City Council directed that a survey be developed to gain input regarding various city services with several questions directly related to provision of fire service.

Subsequently, the City partnered with the Master of Public Administration Program at the University of Dayton to create a citizen survey and evaluate the results. The University provided this service at no cost to the City. Sixty-five percent (65%) of those responding preferred that the city continue maintaining its own volunteer fire department. Fifty-nine percent (59%) supported investigating the possibility of forming a joint fire district with neighboring communities. There was no significant support for creating a paid fulltime department or contracting with another governmental entity for provision of fire service. At their meeting of August 4, the Ad Hoc Committee reviewed the survey results and recommended to City Council that the City pursue a joint fire district. City Council accepted the Committee’s recommendation to pursue discussions with various neighboring communities on the formation of a joint fire district while maintaining its present volunteer force in the interim.

Chief Wyatt will serve as interim Fire Chief while the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee are explored. Chief Wyatt has over 20 years of experience as a firefighter/paramedic, 16 of which have been in a supervisory capacity. She is the first career Captain with the City of Lebanon Fire Department and has served in that position for over 10 years. She also served as a Lieutenant and Captain in the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department. She brings significant experience to the City of Carlisle in the operation of a volunteer fire department. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Miami University, an Associate Degree in Fire and EMS Administration from Sinclair Community College and is a graduate of the Ohio Fire Executive Program. She is a Level 2 Fire Fighter, Paramedic, Fire Safety Inspector, Fire Fighter Instructor and EMT Instructor.

The City of Carlisle is fortunate to have someone with her experience and expertise serve on an interim basis to enable City Council and staff adequate opportunity to fully explore the options available to provide the best fire service to our residents and community.