The North Webster/Tippecanoe Township Fire Department was formed on April 4,1935 by the townspeople of North Webster. Some of the charter members were William (Bill) Metcalf, George Burns, and Howard Bockman. At the time the department was formed, the only fire fighting equipment the town owned were buckets and ladders kept on a rack beside the filling station north of Washington Street on Main Street.
The department covers 36 square miles in the township starting at CR 200N and extending to CR 800N, from CR 400E to CR 1000E (the east county line), and has contract areas both to the north into Turkey Creek Township and to the west into Noble County, adding another 19.25 square miles. There are also 72 bodies of water in the coverage area for the department. North Webster / Tippecanoe Township Fire Department currently own and operate ten pieces of fire apparatus including a fire rescue boat.
Currently heading the department is the Fire Chief Jeremy Likens, six of his officers and a board of five members, which totals a department of thirty members. All new members go through a six month probationary period and have a year to complete all their mandatory training to become a regular firefighter.
The current fire station stands on the site of a former gas station that was used to house the first truck. On February 18, 1946 the North Webster fire station was badly damaged when a fire of unknown origin nearly gutted the back end of the building. Over the years the building has been remodeled several times and at one time the building was used for all the emergency services in town and also had its own dispatch from the 1970’s until 1993 when the county activated an enhanced 9-1-1 system. In 1998 a garage was constructed as the station annex and is used to house two of the trucks in the fleet and the fire rescue boat.
In 2013 the department was able to hire its first ever full time employee. Chief Likens was hired as the department’s first ever full time chief. In the fall of the following year with the help from the town of North Webster the department was able to hire a second full time firefighter, with the hiring of Firefighter/EMT Scott Gerke. With this the department was better able to respond to day time calls
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In the summer of 2015 the department made a milestone move and brought the North Webster Tippecanoe Twp EMS back under the fire department. With this the department now has 6 Full Time firefighters that are crossed trained in firefighting and medical care along with 18 Part Time employees that are also crossed trained. The department still consists of a strong volunteer base with nearly 30 volunteer firefighters.
Some of the annual community events that the department assists with include several events during the Mermaid Festival, Memorial Day Services, Fourth of July fireworks details, open house during Dixie Days, Halloween, also Fire Prevention Week at the local schools and many other fun community based events throughout the year.
