Crown Point Fire Rescue welcomes 'Safer 7'
Mayor Pete Land recently swore in seven Crown Point Fire Rescue firefighters, the most in the department’s history.
The new firefighters: Brett Wisenbaugh, Ben Rosenfeldt, David Graham, Jackie Osborne, Jason Kooyenga, Joseph Bonk and Meghan Mulroe.
Wisenbaugh was born and raised in Michigan City and has 10 years of experience in EMS.
He has worked as a part-time paramedic with Crown Point Fire Rescue since 2021.
Rosenfeldt was born in Munster and raised in Gulf Shores, Alabama. He began his career in EMS and fire in 2012. He is serving his seventh year with the U.S. Army National Guard, where he will continue to serve.
Graham grew up in St. John. Previously, he served as a volunteer firefighter with the St. John Fire Department. He is a paramedic student at Franciscan Health and will be a paramedic by the beginning of 2024.
Osborne was a volunteer firefighter for nearly three years before joining Crown Point Fire Rescue. She started her career as an EMT at St. Mary’s Emergency Room and is enrolled in their paramedic academy.
Kooyenga lives in Crown Point and received his fire and EMT certifications through Prairie State College in Illinois.
Bonk was born in Beecher, Illinois, and grew up in Dyer. He previously served with the Dyer Fire Department and is an EMT school and District 1 Career Academy graduate.
Mulroe is a Crown Point native who has served for the past two years as a volunteer firefighter and EMT with Crown Point Fire Rescue.
The historic swearing-in ceremony came as Crown Point Fire Rescue received a $2.26 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in late 2022.
The grant does not require a match from the city and fully funds the salary and benefits for the seven firefighters for three years. The city will cover the salaries beginning in 2026. Crown Point was the only municipality in Northwest Indiana to receive the grant in 2022.
It has increased Crown Point Fire Rescue’s staffing from 14 people a shift to 16.
“It was only seven months ago we were notified that our department was one of the very few selected to receive the SAFER grant,” Fire Chief Mark Baumgardner Jr. said. “The pursuit of this grant began seven years ago under retired Fire Chief Greg DeLor and former Mayor David Uran."
Appropriately dubbed the Safer 7, the men and women sworn in several weeks ago represent the best of the best, Baumgardner said, noting that nearly 200 people applied for the seven slots.
“It’s not just certifications and experience, it is their moral character. How they were raised. How they treat people. We can train just about anyone to become firefighters and paramedics. It is much harder to teach people to be kind, respectful and engaged."
Land said the swearing-in ceremony was a historic day for not only Crown Point Fire Rescue but the city as a whole, and he thanked FEMA and the office of U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, for their support.
The new firefighters have begun training and began reporting for their shifts April 23.