Garrett Holderman was officially appointed as Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory’s fire chief during a March 1 board meeting. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Garrett Holderman was officially appointed as Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory’s chief during a March 1 board meeting.

According to a letter from Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, who requested the WWFT board endorse Holderman as the next chief, Holderman assumed his duties as chief on Feb. 21. Thallemer was unable to attend the board’s March meeting.

During a December 2021 meeting, the board announced that former WWFT Chief Mike Wilson would be retiring in the summer of this year. Wilson will continue working with WWFT as the community health coordinator for the territory’s C.A.R.E.S. (Community Assistance, Resources and Emergency Services) program until June.

“I am appointing Mr. Holderman after an extensive search that yielded 26 candidates from all across the nation,” read Thallemer’s letter. “He was hired with 17 years of experience from the Rural Metro Fire Service in Phoenix, Arizona, where he had risen to the rank of battalion chief. The WWFT is blessed with an exceptionally talented workforce, and I am confident Mr. Holderman has the leadership skills to move the department forward.”

“It’s been a very welcoming community,” said Holderman at the end of the board’s meeting. “I look forward to hitting the ground running and doing the best I can possibly do. I’ve had nothing but positive vibes since being here, and I appreciate it.”

In other business, the board gave WWFT permission to renew a maintenance agreement with Cummins Sales and Service for planned generator equipment maintenance. The agreement includes all three WWFT stations, as well as the Warsaw Police Department.

WWFT’s portion costs $1,896.30 and the police department’s portion is $607.06, totaling $2,503.36. This is a price increase of $72.91 since 2021.

Permission for renewal will now go to the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety for approval.

With reports, for the month of January, WWFT responded to a total of 91 medical calls for Station 1; 68 for Station 2; and 28 for Station 3. These numbers also include C.A.R.E.S. responses. For fire calls within the territory, WWFT responded to two vehicle fires, an oven fire, and a chimney fire.

WWFT’s next board meeting is at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.