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Welcome to the Fire Department of Liberty Township's website. Our personnel encourage you to explore the site and take advantage of our community outreach and risk reduction programs. We want the community to see how our personnel have worked to advance our mission to provide the highest-level public safety.

Our mission is making Liberty Township one of the safest communities in the State of Indiana. We continually strive for improvement with the Insurance Services Organization (ISO). Improvement with ISO provides assurances to Liberty residents and businesses that the fire department meets the highest national benchmarks and may potentially reduce hazard insurance costs.

We provide our personnel with quality fire and medical training, as well as state of the art equipment to exceed the expectations of the citizens and visitors we serve each day. Our community outreach offers CPR and AED training, first aid, home safety education program, smoke detector program, and soon Child Passenger Safety Seat Program.

We continue to face many challenges. We will improve our department by achieving Fire Service Accreditation and continue to strengthen and reinforce our community relationships through our many outreach programs. We will work to enhance fire & rescue safety, reduce & prevent firefighter injuries and address issues of cancer and PTSD in the firefighter workplace. To ensure our community is trained and knowledgeable, we will work to establish and maintain a Community Emergency Response Team made up of volunteers. 

We view our personnel as the most valued asset, a team of public safety professionals that strive to continuously improve our organization and rise to the challenges placed before them. We will always continue to work hard and deal with each patient and each incident the way we would take care of our own. This compassion, empathy and dedication along with our collective efforts to achieve the vision of our department will establish us as a leader in public safety.


We strive to keep taxes low. To maintain this endeavor we must rely on donations. Please make your donation here

Overview


The Prevention Services Division is tasked with the responsibility of reviewing plans for new construction and renovation projects within the jurisdiction of the Fire Department of Liberty Township (FDLT) in order to determine compliance with currently adopted fire and building safety codes. FDLT is the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and local fire official (LFO) for such projects. The  Prevention Bureau also inspects construction projects to ensure that they conform to the reviewed and released plans.


Plan Review and Construction Process

  • Review all code requirements for construction projects located in Liberty Township, the Town of Clayton, and the State of Indiana
  • Submit an application for a building permit and construction design release to Hendricks County and the State of Indiana. (more information can be found here)
  • The Fire Department of Liberty Township will be notified of your application automatically and the LFO plan review process will commence (all fees are paid to the FDLT).  
  • The architect and owner will receive a plan review notice via email with comments and construction requirements within 30 days of application submittal.
  • Review LFO comments and submit changes or addendum’s directly to the Fire Department of Liberty Township via email, postal, or dropoff to Fire Department of Liberty Township Headquarters Attn: Prevention Bureau located at 111 E. Kentucky St. PO Box 160, Clayton, IN 46118.
    • Revised plans or addendums must be submitted prior to the start of construction and must be retained on-site during the entire project.
    • The Prevention Bureau will not inspect projects without released plans on-site and available for review by the LFO inspector.
  • Plans will be stamped and returned via email or postal mail to the architect of record.
  • A registered construction project placard will be provided and must be displayed along with any required permits in a conspicuous location on-site.

Inspections

Upon receipt of released plans and all applicable permits, construction may begin. The Fire Department of Liberty Township inspects construction projects independently of any other city, state, or federal required inspections. However, inspections are often conducted concurrently with other inspections whenever possible. The Prevention Bureau performs the following inspections:

  • Rough-In Above Ceiling
  • Pre-final (80% complete)
  • Kitchen Hood Test
  • Fire Alarm Acceptance Test
  • Undergound/Above Ground Fire Protection
  • Fire Sprinkler Acceptance Test
  • Final Walk Through (100% complete)

When scheduling an inspection, the project manager or their designee should contact Hendricks County Planning & Building to request an inspection first if possible. After scheduling a county inspection, the project manager should then request a LFO inspection here or by calling 317-539-5060 not less than 48 hours prior to the requested inspection date. If the project manager is unable to schedule a county inspection, the county inspector is unavailable, or a county inspection has already been conducted or is not applicable to the project, an inspection request can be placed directly with the Prevention Bureau.

Special Considerations

The Fire Department of Liberty Township requires building owners and design professionals to consult directly with the Prevention Bureau on certain fire safety and fire protection design features. If applicable to the scope of the project, the following items must be discussed with the Prevention Bureau during the design phase:

  • Location of fire department connection (FDC)
    • FDC’s must be located remotely from the building. Wall-mounted FDC’s are not permissible without a variance being granted prior to construction.
  • FDC Specifications
  • An FDC sign shall be provided when the FDC is not readily visible from the front of the building (more information available here).
  • Fire hydrants shall be located within 40 ft. of the FDC. 
  • Fire protection and fire alarm system acceptance testing documentation shall be provided to the Fire Department of Liberty Township at the final inspection.
  • Fire apparatus access roads shall be provided and dead-end roads greater than 150 ft. shall be provided with a turnaround. 
    • See Appendix D (IFC) – Fire Apparatus Access Roads for more information or contact the Prevention Bureau.
  • A KNOX fire department access key box shall be provided for any building equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler or fire alarm system. KNOX access is required by means of a KNOX box or switch located at any vehicle gates on the property. KNOX products can be ordered here. Please be sure Liberty Twp Fire Dept –Clayton, IN is selected as the servicing fire department. 
  • A dedicated branch circuit shall be provided for fire alarm systems. The circuit shall be identified as the “Fire Alarm Circuit Control” and must be red in color (see example here).

Variances

The Fire Department of Liberty Township and the State of Indiana both recognize that the currently adopted codes may impose a financial or another hardship on the building owner. An owner wishing to apply for a variance must complete and submit an application with any supporting documents to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Additional information about variances can be found here. Please ensure that you select the proper local fire official (LFO) and local building official (LBO) when completing your application. A list of the LFO and LBO for each department can be found on the variance information page. The Prevention Services Division will receive a copy of your variance application and submit acknowledgment of its receipt to the State of Indiana. Building owners are encouraged to consult with the Prevention Bureau prior to submittal of a variance application. The Fire Department of Liberty Township will provide written comments to the State of Indiana in support or opposition to the variance.

Mission Statement
The Fire Department of Liberty Township mission is to protect the lives and property of the citizens, visitors and neighbors of the Town of Clayton and Liberty Township.  Protection provided includes services in firefighting, fire prevention, public education, fire investigation, emergency medical care and transport, hazard mitigation, and all forms of rescue .  All those services are provided in the most professional manner by highly trained, dedicated and educated members with strong core values.

Core Values

Safety - The first and most important consideration is the safety of the citizen, visitor, neighbor and responder.  The responders take calculated risks to their own safety to save the life of another.

Service - The citizen, visitor and neighbor are our customer.  Customers are treated with the respect and the dignity they deserve.

Compassion - Many times, the customer has called us on their worst day.  With that in mind, members will always be sympathetic to the customer who called for help.

Honor - Members perform the duties of the mission with integrity, honesty and fairness without the expectation of glory, doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

Dedication - There is an unwavering commitment to faithful execution of all the duties of the mission.

Preparedness - A constant state of mental and physical readiness is imperative.  Readiness is accomplished through training, education, physical fitness and the care of our equipment.

Cooperation - Members recognize that the mission cannot be accomplished without the help of others.  Members foster close working relationships with community organizations, all levels of government and other public safety agencies.

Vision Statement
The Vision of the Fire Department of Liberty Township is to be recognized by all we serve, those who assist us and our members as:

  • An organization that provides the highest level of service that is viewed as a benchmark among all public safety service organizations.
  • An organization dedicated to the education of the public in order to promote life safety and a high quality of life.
  • An organization that is dynamic enough to change with the needs of those we serve.
  • An organization that is acknowledged for our strong core values and commitment to our members.
  • An organization that is a good steward of the resources received from the taxpayer and contributor.