Suburban Indy fire chief named state fire marshal
March 5, 2020By The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — A suburban Indianapolis fire chief is set to become Indiana's next state fire marshal.
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday that he had appointed Plainfield Fire Chief Joel Thacker to oversee the state agency that investigates suspicious fires, promotes fire prevention and enforces safety codes in public buildings. Thacker will begin his new duties April 6.
Holcomb said Thacker has “risen through the ranks to bring 28 years of fire and emergency response experience" to his new position.
Thacker began his career as a first responder in 1992 as an EMT and volunteer firefighter in central Indiana. Five years later, he became a firefighter, first serving in Brownsburg and then Johnson County’s White River Township. He then became an assistant chief in Brownsburg before moving to Plainfield in 2015 to become division chief of fire prevention and administration.
He was sworn in as fire chief in Plainfield, a suburb just southwest of Indianapolis, in 2017.
Thacker will succeed former South Bend fire chief Stephen Cox, who Holcomb appointed executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security in January, three months after the governor named him to the state fire marshal post.
More on DuboisCountyHerald.com
-
County records 5 new COVID-19 cases
The Indiana State Department of Health reported Friday five new COVID-19 cases in Dubois County. -
County sees 9 new COVID-19 cases
The Indiana State Department of Health reported Thursday nine new COVID-19 cases in Dubois County. -
New chamber director devoted to people
Becky Hickman has always enjoyed helping people succeed by connecting them to resources. -
County records 8 new COVID-19 cases
The Indiana State Department of Health reported Wednesday eight new COVID-19 cases in Dubois County. -
County sees 5 COVID-19 deaths, 5 new cases
The Indiana State Department of Health reported Tuesday five new COVID-19 deaths in Dubois... -
Man injured in crash with stopped school bus
A Birdseye man was flown to an Evansville hospital with a head injury after his pickup truck... -
County sees 12 more COVID-19 cases
The Indiana State Department of Health has reported since Friday 12 new COVID-19 cases in Dubois... -
Former Herald photographer takes top award
Former Herald photographer Marlena Sloss was named 2020 Indiana Photographer of the Year this...