Firefighters negotiate confined areas during a self-rescue drill.

On Saturday, November 7, 2009 the Carlisle Fire Department held a skills assessment training at the Carlisle Commons Apartments on DuBois Rd. Several skill stations were set up for the firefighters to perform jobs such as ladder placement, hose line advancement, self rescue and search & rescue with victim removal. The training day was the first opportunity for new Fire Chief Krista Wyatt to train with the department and assess the overall skill levels of the members.
Chief Wyatt was pleased with the overall performance of those in attendance and will plan for
future training events to enhance the skills

Firefighters practice victim removal under the direction of Asst. Chief Bell.

and knowledge of the department. As with any other department with similar call volumes, the greatest need for skill management is repetitive training and this can be done with the continued use of the apartment building.
The fire department members demonstrated that they have been well trained and they have the necessary skills to perform their duties as firefighters.
The Carlisle Fire Department greatly appreciates the owner and management of the Carlisle Commons Apartments for providing the building in which to conduct training. The continued use of the facility will enable the department members to continue

Firefighters prepare to enter an apartment to search for a victim.

to strengthen their skills and improve their ability to keep the community safe.
On Monday, November 16th, the Carlisle Fire Department returned to the Carlisle Commons Apartments for Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training.  The Warren County Fire Chiefs’ Association established a RIT policy several years ago to provide for a common protocol for all of the fire departments in the county.  The intention of the RIT is to be a stand-by crew who is ready to enter a structure if a firefighter or crew of firefighters would become lost or unable to free themselves from an area.  The RIT becomes a

Firefighters wait for their next command after advancing a hose line.

rescue team and goes in search of the lost firefighter or crew. 
The Carlisle Common Apartments have allowed the fire department to build obstructions in the empty units so the firefighters can practice negotiation around unusual walls or other areas.  Monday’s training was an ongoing process which started on Nov. 7th’s all day training event.  The Franklin Township Fire Department (Station 20) also participated in training at the apartments on Monday evening, completing similar RIT drills and plans are being made for more shared training events in the near future. 

Press Release

On Tuesday, September 22, 2009, the City of Carlisle officially appointed Krista R.Wyatt as its interim Fire Chief. Chief Wyatt began her official duties on Wednesday, September 23. The Fire Chief position became vacant upon the resignation of longtime Chief Greg Wallace on July 28, 2009. Chief Wyatt will serve as interim Fire Chief while City Council fully explores options for provision of fire service to City residents.

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.

There has been no official determination on the Fire Chief front but there is much speculation and rumor, so far. In the last City Council meeting, Jim Lukas City Manager of Franklin was present and the speculation, from what, we have heard, was that the Fire discussions would be a hot topic during the council meeting.

From what we have seen from online and from certain people in public attendance it was not discussed openly. Rumor has it that the City officials for Carlisle made it known that Carlisle has made their decisions on how they would replace recently resigned Fire Chief, Greg Wallace and proceed with the current Fire Department situation.

The rumor is that Carlisle is looking to hire a part time Fire Chief, part time. That fire chief would be current full time Fire Chief Michael Hannigan of Lebanon Fire Department. Rumor has it he will keep his full time position with Lebanon and serve part time as Chief of Carlisle's volunteer fire department.

***UPDATE*** Rumor is Fire Captain from Lebanon, Kristy Wyatt, not Fire Chief Hannigan.***

Jason Faulkner, Franklin City Council member, has also posted this rumor on his blog site. Click here to view his article.

So with many already talking about this rumor it will be interesting to see if this the direction City Administration for Carlisle is taking. We have reached out to City Manager, Sherry Callahan, for a potential update and some validity on which direction the city is going.

A source close to Carlisle Daily has informed us that last week Greg Wallace has resigned from the City of Carlisle. Mr. Wallace has served as Fire Chief of Carlisle for many years. He has been seen all around town investing time into about every event that Carlisle Daily has been able to attend.

He has obviously served in a key position in the City. We wish Mr. Wallace the best as he moves on in his life and wish him well in his endeavors.

We will keep the City posted as we hear how and when the City plans on dealing with his departure and potential candidates that will arise.

The resignation is effective Sept. 1, 2009.