The people of Portage can rest easy with great men like Dan Kodicek in their city. Kodicek is the Assistant Chief of EMS for the Portage Fire Department, and he takes his job and the safety of the Portage citizens very seriously.
Kodicek comes from a long line of giving men. His father and grandfather were both volunteer firefighters in Lake County and he followed in their footsteps early at the age of 17.
A graduate from Lake Central High School, Kodicek furthered his education at Purdue and then at St. Anthony Paramedic School in Crown Point.
“I really loved helping people when I worked on the ambulance and fire truck,” Kodicek said.
About five years ago Kodicek was appointed to his current position. He is still able to help people, just on a larger scale. With the EMS supervision now under the care and guidance of Dr. David Cummins, Director of EMS at Porter Regional Hospital and former paramedic in Portage, the Kodicek and his team are able to treat more people. New technology and training are helping to save more people, and Kodicek said that a “save” goes way beyond getting a person’s heart beating again.
“People exiting the hospital with no neurological deficits are what we deem a true to life ‘save’,” Kodicek said. “We do things evidence based, and we’ve seen great results in the last four years with cardiac arrest saves.”
One of the notable things that contributes to the number of “saves” is the use of Naloxon, a non-addictive opioid antagonist and it is used to reverse the effects of narcotic drugs overdoses that are caused by drugs like heroin, morphine, oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, codeine, and other types of prescription pain medications. It is not a new drug, it’s just being used by paramedics and police in more and more areas, thereby gaining the recognition of the public.
Kodicek was approached by Troy Williams about creating Naloxon kits and training police on how to administer the drug to victims of drug overdoses. They started with Portage police supervisors and within two months of training they had saved two lives that would have been lost otherwise from drug overdose.
“I was then approached by Captain Gonzalez at the Porter County Sherriff’s Department, Chuck Harris, Dr. Spanopolous of Fagan Pharmacy, and Aaron Kochar of Porter-Starke to create their Naloxon program which got started last summer,” Kodicek said. “With the help of Porter Regional Hospital we’ve expanded it to all police departments in Porter County.”
And being able to continue to help people, in emergencies as well as in educational ways, is what matters to Kodicek.
“I was taught this from way back when. My grandfather always said that if you can make a difference in one person’s life, that’s all that matters,” Kodicek said.
Kodicek is part of the Porter Hospital, Portage Kiwanis, and Portage Fire Department Bicycle Safety Day in May. Bicycle helmets are passed out to kids and they are taught proper bicycle safety. It goes way beyond helmets, and the fire department makes it fun with food, games, fire truck tours, and more.
Outside of work, Kodicek likes to tinker with old pinball machines. It’s a hobby that his grandpa started and he continued. Kodicek also has a 7-year-old daughter and he coaches her soccer team, and he is part of the Portage Kiwanis.
All of the information that was just shared with you is really just the tip of the iceberg. If you really want to get to know Kodicek, then you should meet him in person and start a conversation. He has a lot of knowledge to share and he’s excellent company. So next time you see Dan Kodicek, shake his hand. He and the rest of the men and women who protect and serve Portage deserve a bit of thanks for all that they do.