Most of us go through our days not planning for the worst. We are afforded that luxury because Porter County’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator John Pisowicz is preparing those plans for us.
In his role for the county, Pisowicz works every day to plan and prevent potential health-related disasters.
“I am a contracted employee with the Health Department,” Pisowicz said. “This is my fifth year as the Preparedness Coordinator. Emergency management handles all of the natural hazards like floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes and hazardous materials.”
Pisowicz spends his days examining man-made threats that could impact citizens of Porter County.
“I handle all of the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events which could adversely impact the residents of Porter County,” Pisowicz said.“Recently, I completed the National Emergency Management Basic Academy through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In addition, I have a tentatively approved package submitted to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to become certified as a Professional Emergency Manager (PEM) in the State of Indiana.”
As a result of tightly aligned drills and protocols across the county, Pisowicz knows exactly what steps to take to combat potential threats.
“In the event of a disaster, we would start running a response,” Pisowicz said. “If there was any medical countermeasure needed, we would provide that to all of Porter County to make sure those that are not symptomatic are treated appropriately before they develop symptoms.”
To examine this, Pisowicz and the Porter County Emergency Preparedness walks through events that have happened in other locations.
“For example, if there was a threat of anthrax, we would be able to provide the medical countermeasures needed very quickly,” Pisowicz said. “The needed drugs are released from the Strategic National Stockpile from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). First, we would set up a point of dispensing or a POD. These medical countermeasures help mitigate the risk of experiencing symptoms associated with that threat.
Individuals in the county would come to the pod site and receive all the medication free of charge.”
In addition to spending his working days preparing and protecting our community, Pisowicz has been an active member of the Navy Reserves since 2002.
“The morning of 9/11 I was working in the intensive care unit (ICU) when the first plane hit,” Pisowicz said. “My father was in the Navy, and I felt like I had not served my country and now we're under attack.”
Not one to simply pass time, Pisowicz has spent the last 20 years rising up through the Navy’s ranks.
“I enlisted as a hospital corpsman on January 31, 2002,” Pisowicz said. “In October of 2008, I was enlisted as a corpsman, and then I got commissioned as an officer. On August 1 of this year, I was promoted to Commander. On September 1, I assumed the role as the Reserve Component Operations Specialty Leader. I evaluate the effectiveness of our various naval reserve nursing platforms and how to improve our warfighter readiness and capabilities while ultimately attempting to decrease the number of casualties who require our medical assistance. In addition, I serve as 4th Medical Battalion’s Joint En Route Coordinator (JECC). I am one of only a few credentialed Flight Nurses in the United States Navy who holds board certifications as a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN), and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN)."
As a reserve officer, Pisowicz spends one weekend a month and two weeks a year on active duty.
“This year I went to Jordan in July,” Pisowicz said. “We had combined training with the Jordanian Army during a live fire exercise. My role was that in the event that anyone was injured severely, I would function as a flight nurse with the Navy and fly them to a trauma center.”
When not serving Porter County and the U.S. Navy, Pisowicz is a dedicated family man.
“'I’m actually married to my high school sweetheart, Sarah,” Pisowicz said. “We've been married 22 years, and we have three children - Ella, Noah, and Alyssa. Together we do a lot of traveling. We go to a lot of museums, to the zoo in Indianapolis, and other fun places. We just hope to spend a lot of time with the kids while giving them great memories.”
To learn more about Porter County Government, please visit porterco.org.
