PORTAGE | The business of fighting fires has changed. There's still smoke and flames, but the technology and techniques to limit the loss of lives and property have evolved over the years, Portage Assistant Fire Chief Mike Bucy said.

And if you don't keep up with those changes, a department can become stagnant, he said.

"If you don't go outside (of your department) to pick up information, your circle of knowledge gets smaller and smaller. Then you reach a certain point that you're not moving forward, you're falling behind," said Bucy, who recently started his own business Red Devil Training to reach out to fire departments in need of training or consultation.

"I love the fire service, love the people involved and I get a kick going around and meeting people who go out and protect others' lives. It is a passion," said Bucy, who has been a firefighter for more than 18 years and in emergency services for 21 years. He's taught at several schools, including the annual Duneland Fire School held each year in Chesterton.

A National Fire Protection Association certified instructor, Bucy said he had always enjoyed teaching and had been an instructor since 1993.

He said he saw a need for someone to provide additional training services to departments, particularly to smaller departments, at an affordable price. Bucy said he travels to instruction sites rather than having department members come to him, saving departments expenses in travel and lodging.

"Training can be an expensive line item for a department with a small budget," he said, adding the need for training for small departments is as great as it is for larger, paid departments. Another drawback for smaller departments, he said, is that they often do not have certified instructors on the department.

Firefighter training, he said, is not only mandated by the state, but is important to keep up to date on a variety of topics. Bucy teaches classes ranging from rapid intervention to strategy and tactics, hazmat, incident management, leadership and instruction.

His teaching, Bucy said, also allows him to keep fresh and bring back ideas to the Portage department.

"I don't get to sign up for a lot of classes, but by me going out and teaching, I have a chance to bring something back. Every time I teach, I learn. It helps keep me (stay) fresh and learn something new," he said.