Gov. Eric Holcomb on Tuesday announced $10 million in new personal protective equipment (PPE) for volunteer firefighters across Indiana.

Most Indiana communities are served by volunteer fire departments, operating on shoestring budgets with dilapidated equipment, a press release said. Some wear protective gear and self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) that may be more than a decade old.

Through Gov. Holcomb’s 2023 Next Level Agenda, $17.7 million was allocated to firefighters for PPE and new training facilities for volunteer stations across Indiana. This investment marks the first time the Indiana General Assembly has dedicated funds specifically to firefighters. The only other funding source for firefighters is tax revenue from the sale of fireworks in Indiana.

“While most people run from dangerous situations, firefighters run toward them to serve their community,” Holcomb said. “This investment is long overdue in our state. Nothing could be more important than for these brave men and women to be both properly suited and trained.  It’s how we can best serve them as they serve us.”

The $10 million will purchase 940 complete sets of PPE and SCBA, benefiting 66 fire departments across every Indiana fire district. The selection process addressed the poorest volunteer departments first and those with the oldest equipment.

“I travel extensively across the state, and I’m shocked sometimes at the rags that some of these men and women are wearing on fire scenes. They run into burning buildings and are supposed to feel protected,” said Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones. “The volunteer fire service is the backbone of Indiana fire protection. This investment is long overdue, and we will be working hard to find additional funding to enhance safety even more in the years to come.”

The funds are administered by the Indiana Fire and Public Safety Academy, led by the Indiana State Fire Marshal and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. The vendor, MES Inc., will work directly with individual firefighters to measure and fit the equipment before delivery.

IDHS accepted submissions for several months in 2023 to determine the highest need departments. Here is a list of the departments that received gear.

Bats across Indiana are waking from hibernation and moving out of their caves in search of food.

These flying mammals play a vital role in Indiana’s ecosystem and even its economy. Feeding on beetles, mosquitoes and moths, a single bat can eat half its body weight in insects each night, benefitting Hoosiers out for an evening stroll as well as farmers plagued with pests.

Benefits of Indiana’s bats

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources estimates bats save the country’s agriculture industry more than $3.7 billion each year by acting as a natural pesticide. Not only do they protect plants, but bats help propagate them. The bats in the state pollinate plants and spread seeds, helping sustain a diverse ecosystem.

The state is home to 13 bat species, some hanging around in trees while others finding caves and mines for shelter. Most cave bats in Indiana are listed as state endangered animal and face unprecedented death rates due to white nose syndrome. A majority of Indiana’s migratory tree bats are species of special concern.

What cave-dwelling bats are found in Indiana?

Big brown bat: One of the healthiest populations of bats in the state, big browns primarily roost in trees and structures during the winter and find caves, mines and other structures during the winter. These bats feed on insects and have an impressive 13-inch wingspan. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eptesicus_fuscus)

Gray bat: Listed as a federal and state endangered species, gray bats find summer and winter roosts in caves and mines. The greatest disturbance for these bats are humans disturbing hibernating colonies. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_grisescens)

Indiana bat: The first recorded Indiana bat was found in the state’s Wyandotte Cave. They’re listed as federal and state endangered, and in the summer roost in trees, and search for caves and mines in the winter. Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to the species. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_sodalis)

Little brown bat: These state endangered bats prefer three roosts: day, night and hibernation. These roosts vary depending on the ambient temperature and include anything from buildings and trees to under rocks and in piles of wood. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_lucifugus)

Northern long-eared bat: These bats are listed as endangered in Indiana and face habitat loss due to timber harvesting. Insecticides are also affecting the food supply. These bats can be found roosting in trees during the summer and caves in the winter. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_septentrionalis)

Tri-colored bat (pipistrelle): Heavily affected by white-nose syndrome, these bats are listed as a state endangered species. While the individual hairs on these bats are tri-colored, they mostly appear dark yellow. Tri-colored bats roost in trees in the summer and in caves during winter. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pipistrellus_subflavus)

How has white-nose syndrome affected Indiana’s bats?

In 2009, the year before white-nose syndrome was discovered in the state, biologists counted about 220,315 hibernating bats. By 2020, that number dropped about 17% due to the disease.

Tri-colored bats saw the greatest death rate in that time frame, dropping from a population of 1,163 to only about 100. Little brown bat populations declined 89%, big brown bats dropped 47%, and Indiana bats saw the smallest effects, dropping 15%.

Latest research: White-nose syndrome is killing Indiana bats. Colder caves might save the vital bug eaters

Here’s how to help Indiana’s bats

Installing bat boxes can help provide emergency shelters for bats that might need them when proper roosts are unavailable. Planting pollinator gardens are also going to help bat populations, as they support native insects that help sustain bat populations.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk

IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Northwestern’s weekend match against Indiana marked its final time playing at Combe Tennis Center this year.

Before Sunday’s match play began, coach Claire Pollard gave a short speech about each departing player’s time with the program. Soon after, the Wildcats (17-5, 8-1 Big Ten) cruised by the Hoosiers (6-18, 0-10 Big Ten) in a 4-0 triumph.

The victory finalized NU’s 11-0 home record this season, the program’s most home wins in a season since 2017-2018.

Pollard’s team nabbed the doubles point for the sixth match in a row, and like each match over the past two weeks, the group did so in dominant fashion. Pollard called the doubles point the “unsung hero” for the squad’s recent success.

The No. 1 pairing of graduate student Christina Hand and senior Justine Leong, ranked No. 57 in the nation, defeated Saby Nihalani and Li Hsin Lin 6-1. The duo’s chemistry has led them to drop only two games in their last four matches.

“When we play together, I know what she’s going to do before she does it and she knows what I’m going to do.” Hand said in her Senior Spotlight on the team’s Instagram page. “It’s sort of an unspoken kind of thing.”

One court to their left, the No. 2 team of senior Maria Shusharina and graduate student Britany Lau clinched the doubles point for the ’Cats by winning 6-2. Shusharina and Lau played their last three matches at the No. 3. The pairing is now on a four-match winning streak. 

Graduate student Elisa Van Meeteren — who hadn’t played a doubles match in almost two months — replaced freshman Neena Feldman in the lineup. She and junior Sydney Pratt were up 5-3 at the No. 3 doubles slot when doubles play concluded.

The ’Cats kicked off singles play with two quick victories. No. 1 Shusharina won 6-1, 6-3, extending her match win streak to nine. After a short three match stint at the No. 4, Hand moved back to the No. 3 Sunday and swiftly prevailed 6-2, 6-2.

“(Sydney took) a couple of losses in her last matches, and Christina didn’t, so I felt like it was the right thing to make the switch back again,” Pollard said.

In her three matches at the No. 3 slot, Pratt went 1-2, while Hand was 3-0 at the No. 4 slot. Returning to her more familiar No. 4 slot, Pratt was in position to win 6-3, 5-4 when the match concluded. 

The player to clinch the victory for NU was none other than a senior playing her last career match inside Combe Tennis Center — Leong. After dominating the first set 6-1, Leong found herself in a tense second set tiebreak.

After originally leading the set 4-1, the senior found herself in a 5-2 hole to Elisabeth Dunac in the set’s tiebreak. She won three consecutive points to even the score at 5-5.

Dunac double faulted, allowing Leong to serve for the match at 6-5. A 40 second rally then ensued, and Dunac attempted an inside-out forehand that flew out, giving Leong the critical 6-1, 7-6(5) victory.

“(Leong’s) done a great job for us,” Pollard said. “(She) won a convincing first set, and I felt like she let (Dunac) in a little bit but then she got in there and got more disciplined and was a little more aggressive. At 4-2 (in the tiebreak), I walked over there and said, ‘Come on, you got to win this match.’”

Leong’s heroics — winning five consecutive points — capped off Senior Day with a ’Cats victory. Hand, her doubles teammate, stormed the court and picked up Leong, embodying the love between teammates cultivated over playing doubles together for three seasons.

No. 5 junior Kiley Rabjohns was amid a potential comeback when matchplay halted. Her scoreline read 5-7, 6-0, 1-1. On the opposite side of Combe Tennis Center, No. 6 Lau was also in the middle of a third set after losing the second set. The match was unfinished 6-4, 2-6, 1-2.

NU will travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State Friday afternoon. Currently, the two teams are tied for second in the Big Ten with 8-1 records.

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