Going out of his way to help others goes beyond Mike Eckhardt’s duty as a first responder. It’s a lifestyle for the firefighter paramedic who believes in helping out his fellow countrymen because he should, and he thinks everyone else should, too.
While a career in firefighting was never on Eckhardt’s agenda, the seed was planted early on. He was exposed to the culture and atmosphere through his father, who was a volunteer firefighter at the Morgan Township Volunteer Fire Department. Eckhardt joined the same volunteer fire department when he became older, continuing when he began studying broadcasting at Saint Joseph’s College. A desire to be more giving to the volunteer fire department and the community led the seed to blossom.
“I went to EMT school to be a better asset at my volunteer fire department because of all the medical runs we ran,” Eckhardt said. “When I did that, I fell in love with the job and decided maybe broadcasting isn't necessarily my calling.”
The Portage Fire Department drew Eckhardt in because of its size and progressive nature. The fire department is one of the largest in Northwest Indiana and has opportunities for its employees to continue bettering themselves for the community. Eckhardt was amazed it offered services, such as EMS, and specialty teams, such as SWAT, dive, and investigation. Over the nine and a half years he’s been with the fire department, he’s been able to grow, expand his knowledge as a firefighter, and become the president of the Portage Firefighters Union.
“One of the things that really draws me to this position is the fact I care so deeply about the men and women of this organization and the fire department as a whole,” Eckhardt said. “I'm drawn to the idea that there are things I can do to make us a better organization and help us take this to this next level. My drive and love motivate me to do the things I do within our union.”
Portage also wouldn’t be what it is without its charitable residents. The face of the city looks different from Valparaiso, where Eckhardt grew up, because of the uptick in blue-collar workers by the lakefront. No matter how different cities across Northwest Indiana look, he believes the Region, especially Porter County, is full of selfless people. One of those residents is Chris Marron.
Marron posted on a local Facebook page about wanting to organize donations to help the victims of Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, and the response was overwhelming. As the president of the union, Eckhardt was contacted by Austin Bonta, the mayor of the City of Portage, to help with the hurricane relief efforts. The non-profit organization taking on the administrative role of the donations was a no-brainer to Eckhardt. He didn’t have a personal connection with those affected by the hurricanes, but his duty as a firefighter paramedic made it personal.
“Being in the position of myself, my brothers, and my sisters here at the fire department, it's in our nature,” Eckhardt said. “We want to help as many people as we can in their worst time. When we saw the opportunity to help, especially on a grand scale with the people in the Carolinas and the whole area affected by the hurricane, it was a natural thing for us to step up and do what we could to help those people on a personal level.”
A GiveSendGo page was created for monetary donations, and flyers were made for material donations. From the beginning of October to the beginning of November, donations were accepted at all three fire departments in the area. The union helped sort and package the donations, and Marron organized community volunteers for the delivery.
Giving back to the community and helping those in need goes beyond recognition and state borders. Eckhardt believes people shouldn’t have to rely solely on the help of the federal government or their local emergency management. He sees a simple, but strong, value in community involvement.
“The value is helping your fellow man,” Eckhardt said. “It's doing the right thing and helping those in need. We don't do it for notoriety or for gain. Most everybody who has given has given selflessly of their time, money, and materials. All the firefighters who were integral in helping make this a success, none of them want any kind of recognition for it. It's the understanding we are all in this together, and we can only be successful if we help each other out. Everybody has to be able to step up and rise up to the challenge to be able to help our fellow man and countrymen.”