Fire Department staff persistently keep Purdue community safe

For Justin Marvin, the 32 firefighters who make up the Purdue University Fire Department are considered family.

“With 24-hour shifts, we really get to know each other — we work together, we eat together, we train together,” Marvin says. “We are just a very close-knit group that I call family.”

Marvin says his actual family inspired him to become a firefighter and paramedic.

“My father was a police officer and my mother was a teacher,” he says. “So, growing up, I also wanted to get into public safety, and I knew the fire service was my calling.”

Marvin took a giant leap in 2016 when he followed that calling and joined PUFD. He is proud to be a member of a department that provides reliable, specialized services. PUFD serves more than 50,000 students, faculty and staff on the West Lafayette campus and is the only full-time fire department in the Big Ten Conference.

Along with standard emergency fire services, the department provides medical services, as every firefighter is either a certified EMT or licensed paramedic. This allows Marvin and other members of PUFD to respond to the various challenges presented at a large university and research institution.

“We have a lot of opportunities that require us to be proficient with our medical skills and solve problems. For instance, we are prepared to respond to any incident on campus involving hazardous materials,” Marvin says. “You just never know what the day will bring.”

The department is also responsible for inspections and outreach, stand-by services and event support. These services include oversight of the University’s automated external defibrillator (AED) program, assistance with operations at large events and early childhood safety classes for Purdue child care facilities.

The department also provides aircraft rescue and firefighting services for the Purdue University Airport. Without the fire department, the airport would not be able to support the same variety of flights it does today, including Athletics and Honor charter flights.

Chief Kevin Ply is the department’s longest-serving member and has been chief since 2007. Throughout his time with PUFD, he says, it has been critical for the department to adapt to an ever-changing campus.

Purdue University established its own fire department in October 1963. The department is the only full-time fire department in the Big Ten Conference. (Photo provided by Administrative Operations)

“In the department’s first year in 1963, we responded to 92 calls. Now, we respond to 3,000 calls every year,” Ply says. “That increase speaks volumes about the growth of the campus landscape and population. We continue to evolve our professional training and skills to continue serving our Boilermaker family at the highest possible level.”

The skills and expertise of PUFD firefighters have always been important for the safety of the campus community. Now during a global pandemic, the firefighters are using those same skills and expertise — most notably their medical training — to help Protect Purdue.

Since the 2020 spring semester, the fire department has been working to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. PUFD has been one of a group of departments, including University Residences, Physical Facilities, Protect Purdue Health Center, Aramark and Environmental Health and Public Safety, working together to ensure that on-campus isolation and quarantine housing runs smoothly.

Once the Protect Purdue Health Center has a student in need, PUFD provides transportation to on-campus isolation and quarantine housing. Firefighters then check in with students in person on a daily basis while they are isolated or quarantined. 

“We make sure they are feeling OK, they have enough food and water and everything is in working order in their isolation space. We also make sure they have all the supplies they need to keep up with their class work. We have even surprised students with birthday cakes,” Marvin says. “We understand it can be a difficult, uncertain time, so it’s important for us to make them feel as comfortable as possible.”

These efforts have not gone unnoticed by the campus community. Recently, Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life (FSCL) presented the department with the Outstanding Service Award for its work to safely transport students. Off campus, multiple firefighters have been recognized as Neuhoff Media Lafayette’s Local Hero of the Month.

Though the recognition is nice, Marvin says he and the department are just doing their part to help Protect Purdue. They will continue to do so as long as needed.

“Our goal is to complete whatever mission is put before us," he says. "So, until we’re told the mission is complete, we’ll continue to do what we need to do in order to keep the Purdue community safe and healthy.”