Now that the San Pierre Volunteer Fire Department is no longer providing fire protection to Railroad Township, the process is now underway to sort out what property and equipment belongs to whom.
Most of the fire trucks and other equipment belong to Railroad Township. However, some of the vehicles are owned by Kankakee Township. Similarly, Railroad Township owns the radios used by firefighters, but the license to operate them apparently belongs to the San Pierre Fire Department.
Another dispute is taking place over several pieces of equipment used for fish fries and other events. According to Railroad Township Trustee Mandy Thomason, only the fish fry trailer is owned by the San Pierre Fire Department, while the rest of the equipment is owned by the township. She adds that various items used for fish fries were purchased by the department for the township, while others were donated to the township by individuals.
Thomason says that some San Pierre Fire Department members went to the fire station Monday and attempted to remove several pieces of equipment, not just the trailer. She says a deputy from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department helped the parties reach a tentative agreement, under which the San Pierre Fire Department will put together an inventory of the specific items it believes it owns. It will then be given to the trustee’s office for evaluation.
Thomason adds that under the terms of the department’s 2016 contract with Railroad Township, the department “agreed that the township owned everything in the building and on the land,” except for the fish fry trailer and the trucks owned by Kankakee Township, including “various miscellaneous items.”
She says the chief of the San Pierre Fire Department has promised to cooperate with her on the transition in fire protection.
