Valparaiso Fire

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

Valpo Fire recently demonstrated the proper use of an AED for the morning pickleball crew at Valplayso. Thank you Porter County Central Communications (911) for helping and all that you do.

Goals:
•Early recognition of cardiac arrest
•Early 911 call
•Early CPR
•Early shock with AED

Ultimate goals:
•Improve cardiac arrest survival AND
health outcomes

09/03/2026

Meet Engineer/Paramedic Kevin Koepl!

This week we're introducing Engineer/Paramedic Kevin Koepl, who has been a firefighter for an impressive 20 years, 19 of which have been with the Valparaiso Fire Department.

Kevin grew up in Hammond, Indiana, and got into the fire service because he wanted to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. Two decades later, Kevin is now able to fully appreciate the work his grandfather did.

Kevin lives in Winfield with his wife, Mandi, their son Sawyer, and daughter Adler. When he's not serving the community, Kevin spends his days off working in a record store. For Kevin, music isn't just a hobby, it's a passion.

Kevin spent his first 13 years with Valpo Fire on the Rescue, or the ambulance as most people know it. After 13 years of being an advocate for patients and transferring care to hospital staff, Kevin earned a spot on an engine and now serves as an Engineer/Paramedic. While Kevin is responsible for the safe operation of the engine and pumping fires, engine personnel provide years of knowledge and experience by assisting the Rescues with patient care, typically on calls that have a higher level of stress or medical conditions or injuries that pose an immediate or imminent threat to a person's life. Additionally, engine companies help those who are unable to get themselves off the floor, get baby ducks out of storm drains, install working smoke alarms in homes that may need them, educating children and adults alike about fire and life safety, showing the tools on the engine, and many other tasks.

Of all the things Kevin gets to do while serving the community, his favorite is driving and pumping the engine. Kevin enjoys the challenges of driving a several-ton fire apparatus and a crew who likes to keep him on his toes.

Before Kevin was tending to injuries, responding to medical emergencies, and fighting fires, he had a very different job: pizza delivery driver. Yep, Kevin used to deliver pizzas, but don't expect him to show up to your house after calling 911 in hopes he has a few pizza pies with him.

After 20 years in the fire service, Kevin's advice to his younger self is simple:

"Take it all in and always be willing to learn."

That's pretty good advice from someone who has spent two decades in a profession where there's always another call, another challenge, another training scenario, and something new to learn.

When Kevin isn't at the firehouse or working at the record store, he is likely still doing something involving music. He enjoys collecting different forms of music, including vinyl records, cassettes, and antique radios. He also enjoys going to concerts, especially the Foo Fighters. If you see Engine 2 on the road, you can think to yourself,

"There goes my hero, watch him as he goes". -Dave Grohl-

And here's something you might not know about Kevin: he enjoys trivia and loves learning random facts. So if you ever find yourself in a conversation with Kevin and mention something you think is interesting, there's a decent chance he'll love your fact, or he'll already know it. Either way, it's a win-win to chat with Kevin.

One item on Kevin's bucket list is to travel to Europe. After 20 years of answering calls, we're guessing he's looking forward to a trip where the only itinerary is his own.

Kevin also has some simple but important advice for the public:

"Please change your smoke alarm batteries every time we change our clocks."

It's a small task that can make a big difference when it matters most.

Kevin particularly enjoys the Picnic with a Firefighter event, organized by Local 1124. The event is a great opportunity for the public and first responders to interact and enjoy free hot dogs and burgers together.

A few quick facts about Kevin:

• Definitely a morning person. Night owl? Absolutely not.
• Coffee over energy drinks
• Hotels over camping. "Who wants to sleep outside?"
• Winter over summer; the summer heat tends to slow everything down
• Cincinnati Reds fan, Go Reds!

We're proud to have Kevin serving the Valparaiso community and grateful for the 20 years of experience, dedication, and service he has given to the fire service.

From delivering pizzas to driving fire engines, collecting records, working in a record store, and learning enough random trivia to crush any trivia night, Kevin is a brother we'd hate to see retire.

And after 20 years, he's still taking it all in, still willing to learn, and still proud to serve.

09/02/2026

A New Chapter for Public Safety in Porter County

Today, September 1, 2026, marks a long-awaited and significant milestone for public safety in Porter County.

As of today, the Chesterton and Porter Police Dispatch Centers have officially consolidated with Porter County Central Communications (PCCC).

This transition has been years in the making, with an important step occurring on April 1, 2026. On that date, PCCC changed its 911 call-handling policy and discontinued transferring 911 calls originating in Chesterton and Porter to their municipal dispatch center. From that point forward, when residents called 911, PCCC retained the call and coordinated the appropriate emergency response—eliminating the need for callers to be transferred and potentially repeat information they had already provided.

That change eliminated an unnecessary step in the emergency response process and ultimately moved Porter County closer to the consolidated model envisioned by Indiana's 911 legislation.

Today, that transition is complete.

Beginning today, PCCC is the communications center for Chesterton and Porter Police Departments. All 911 and non-emergency calls for police service are now received and processed by PCCC, and our telecommunicators are responsible for dispatching Chesterton and Porter police officers in their entirety.

While police dispatching for these departments is new, serving these communities is not.

PCCC has dispatched fire and EMS services for Chesterton and Porter for decades. Our telecommunicators are familiar with these communities, their geography, their residents, and the public safety professionals who serve them. We are proud to build upon those longstanding relationships by now providing their police communications as well.

This consolidation also brings these operations into alignment with Indiana's PSAP consolidation requirements and creates a more unified emergency communications system for Porter County.

Reaching this day required significant planning, technology, training, coordination, and—most importantly—the work of many people. We are grateful to our telecommunicators, supervisors and administrative staff, the men and women of the Chesterton and Porter Police Departments, our fire and EMS partners, municipal and county officials, and everyone who helped make this transition possible.

For the citizens we serve, the goal is simple: a more streamlined response, fewer unnecessary steps, and one coordinated public safety communications system.

Today isn't simply about closing two dispatch operations or moving responsibilities from one location to another. It represents another important step toward a truly consolidated public safety communications system for Porter County.

We are excited for what comes next, and we are proud to officially welcome the Chesterton and Porter Police Departments to PCCC.

One county. One team. One mission: getting the right help to the right place as quickly and safely as possible.

Welcome to PCCC, Chesterton and Porter! 📞🚓🚒🚑

08/27/2026

08/21/2026

Meet Firefighter/Paramedic Hunter Yager!

This week we're introducing Firefighter/Paramedic Hunter Yager, who has proudly served with the Valparaiso Fire Department on an ambulance, or Rescue as we call it, for the past three and a half years. Hunter grew up in Kouts, Indiana, and has been a firefighter for five years.

Before becoming a firefighter, Hunter worked in construction, which is excellent foreknowledge for knowing how fire may move through a structure, knowing how different structure types hold up against fire, and gaining experience with power tools.

Hunter was inspired to become a firefighter by his father-in-law, who helped introduce him to the profession. These days, some of Hunter's favorite parts of the job are partaking in challenging training scenarios and getting to put some serious tools to work, including chainsaws and K-12 saws during roof and ventilation operations.

Although Hunter is a full-time Firefighter/Paramedic, Hunter still enjoys construction work in his free time. When he's not building something, you can probably find him golfing.

One item on Hunter's bucket list is earning his pilot’s license. If the fire department ever buys its own helicopter, Hunter will be the first one in the cockpit.

When asked what advice he would give his younger self, Hunter kept it simple:

"Be more intentional with the time you have with your family while you're off-shift."

That's advice worth listening to.

Hunter also became a dad for the first time this summer, so missing out on some Zzzzzs is both an occupational and personal experience now.
One thing Hunter wishes more people knew about life at the firehouse is that Valpo Firefighters do not have chefs. They actually determine what sounds good, hopefully before dinner time arrives, and hits up Aldi or Stracks for groceries when possible between calls. And when a call comes in while dinner is cooking, sometimes you just have to shut off the oven or grill and accept that dinner will be whatever survives the interruption.

Some of Hunter's favorite Local 1124 events are the Flower Sale and Gold Outing, because he enjoys getting the opportunity to interact with members of the community. Hunter is not only a golfer on par, but also happens to be an MVP Valpo Fire Softball outfielder.

Take a gander at some quick Hunter facts:

• Night owl, definitely not a morning person
• Movies over books
• Coffee over energy drinks
• Camping over hotels, especially since his family gets to spend time at their camper throughout the year
• Summer over winter, he really, really does not like cold weather
• Chicago Cubs fan, Go Cubs!

We're proud to have Hunter serving the Valparaiso community and appreciate his dedication, hard work, and willingness to take on whatever challenge comes his way.

08/18/2026

Congratulations to Justin Faanes and Zach Molnar on successfully completing their probationary year! We’re proud to have you both as part of the Valparaiso Fire Department, and the residents of Valparaiso are lucky to have you serving them!

08/13/2026

🚨 PLEASE — DO NOT USE GENERATORS INSIDE OR NEXT TO YOUR HOME OR BUILDING! 🚨

We are pleading with everyone to take this seriously.

Since the recent storm, we have responded to multiple calls involving elevated carbon monoxide (CO) levels. In several cases, generators were being operated inside buildings, in garages, or too close to buildings.

⚠️ Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, deadly gas. You cannot see it. You cannot smell it. And it can overcome you before you realize there is a problem.

NEVER operate a gasoline, diesel, or propane generator inside your home, garage, basement, shed, or any enclosed space.

Generators should be operated outside, well away from doors, windows, and other openings where exhaust can enter the building.

Please also make sure your carbon monoxide alarms are working and have fresh batteries.

If your generator is running right now, please go outside and check its location. Moving it away from the building could save your life — or the life of someone you love.

We know everyone is dealing with the aftermath of the storm and trying to keep their families warm, safe, and comfortable. But please don’t let a generator turn a power outage into a tragedy.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST. You may help save a life. ❤️🚒