By BOB SHRALLUKA
WZBD.com
The Decatur Fire Department is once again nearing full capacity.
Lucas Juengel and Christopher Jones have passed their PERF (Public Employees Retirement Fund) testing and are joining the department on February 2.
The duo had previously passed physical agility testing and background checks, and also gone through interviews.
They were chosen from a field of 11 applicants at the start of the process.
Jones and Juengel bring the department to eight full-time (or career) firefighters, one short of a full complement, along with Chief Jeff Sheets and Assistant Chief Chad Baumann.
Jones, a Bellmont High School graduate, had been working for the city’s street department.
He is a five-year veteran of the Preble Volunteer Firefighting Association and a current member of the Decatur department’s paid-on call staff.
The new addition to the local department is certified as a Firefighter 2, Instructor 1, and an EMR who holds an operational certificate in Hazmat.
The son of Jeremy and Jessica Jones has a younger sister, Madison.
Juengel is a graduate of Bellmont and Purdue University who is currently serving in the Airborne Infantry with the Army National Guard.
The son of Mark and Darlene Juengel is a third-generation firefighter, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
Lucas, who is married to Emma Juengel, said he looks forward to serving the Decatur community and continuing his family’s tradition of dedication to public safety.
Meanwhile, firefighter Dominick Brown has been removed from his one-year probationary status.
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