Our Department's History

The Wabash Township Fire Department was founded in 1971 by Jonathan Amy and Douglas Forsman. Concerned about the lack of fire protection in the area, the men partnered with then Wabash Township Trustee, Richard Rawles, to found a department to keep the community safe.

Using land donated by Jon Wielbaker, Wabash Township built the department’s first station on what became 2811 Klondike Road in West Lafayette (which still exists today as Cornerstone Home Builders). With two fire trucks and 41 volunteers, Wabash Township Fire Department provided fire response.

Douglas Forsman served as the first Fire Chief. The 41 original volunteers came from all walks of life and represented the diverse community in Wabash Township that we still see today.

Initially, dispatch was managed by Mullen’s Towing Company who used a phone tree system to alert volunteers to emergencies in the community. In the later 70s and early 80s, the department replaced the phone tree with a pager system which dramatically reduced response time by notifying all firefighters at once.

A second station was built at 51 South Newman Road in West Lafayette to better serve the southern portion of the township. Additional apparatus built specifically for firefighting were added to the department as well. Emergency Medical Services became a movement across the country at this time.

Chief Larry Hertz introduced the first rescue truck and the first “Jaws of Life” to Wabash Township Fire Department, which was the first volunteer department in Tippecanoe County to have such equipment.

Under Chief Hertz’s leadership, the first female firefighters were welcomed to the department. He also became the first Chief in Tippecanoe County to enforce National Fire Protection Agency standards for personal protective equipment, the first to attend the National Fire Chief’s academy in Emittsburg, Maryland, and brought national attention to the department after being featured as an outstanding volunteer fire chief in Fire Chief Executive magazine in 1987.

The State of Indiana began E-911 council in 1988, but Tippecanoe County Council adopted the service on July 22, 1991. This changed the way that Wabash Township Fire Department responded to calls. Again, response time decreased with calls being routed through central dispatch. Also, this was the first time Wabash Township Fire Department was able to quickly communicate with other area fire departments during an emergency event.

The operations of the fire department began to formalize, creating a plan for updating and replacing aging equipment. As old trucks would begin to show wear, new vehicles were rotated in to prevent any gap in service.

As new residences continued to be built in the township, it was decided that a much larger fire headquarters would be required. In response to the rapid expansion of West Lafayette, Wabash Township Fire Department doubled the size of the original station by adding an additional bay, a kitchen, offices, a radio room, and station resident quarters. 

In 2007, Station #1 was built at 2899 Klondike Road, where it exists today. Station #1 was built to house 7 apparatus and included a second floor with a living quarters for a station resident and with room for expansion for future career firefighters. In 2010, Fire Chief Mike Francis became the first paid (part-time) member of the Wabash Township Fire Department. In 2012, Joe Wade was hired as the first full-time career firefighter.

Under the leadership of Chief Ed Ward, our roster is composed of 30 dedicated volunteers and 9 career staff members. Our firefighters and EMS personnel, true to our roots, come from varied backgrounds, from a NICU nurse to actual rocket scientists and career firefighters.

We believe our individual experiences combined help us best serve our community’s needs. Several of our current members are second and third-generation firefighters who help carry forth the original vision of providing fire protection and EMS services to the rural areas of Wabash and Shelby Townships.

The services provided by the Wabash Township Fire Department continue to grow quickly. We have become a car seat fitting station staffed by Certified Car Seat Technicians. We offer CPR and First Aid courses to the public and local schools, and we’ve begun the implementation of a Mobile Integrated Health program.

Currently, we’re working on the transition to offering Advanced Life Support services to our township. We hope to continue to expand services to meet the needs of our growing community.