{"id":28827,"date":"2025-09-05T12:58:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/?p=28827"},"modified":"2025-09-05T12:58:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:58:46","slug":"decatur-fd-adds-bemis-still-hiring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/05\/decatur-fd-adds-bemis-still-hiring\/","title":{"rendered":"Decatur FD adds Bemis; still hiring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By BOB SHRALUKA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WZBD.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The addition of a new firefighter has somewhat eased the severe personnel situation at the Decatur Fire Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preston Bemis, a resident of Monroe and a firefighter with that community’s volunteer department, has joined the Decatur FD, beginning Sept. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bemis is a \u201clateral move,\u201d meaning he could immediately join the Decatur department with full-fledged status since he has already passed all state requirements, been approved for PERF, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe is working out well,\u201d Fire Chief Jeff Sheets told the city’s board of works and safety on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Decatur department recently lost three of its nine career firefighters and has been operating severely shorthanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three departures left the department with six regulars, plus Chief Sheets and Deputy Chief Chad Baumann.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that loss of personnel, the board of works previously moved to suspend the normal hiring process and gave Sheets the go-ahead to get Bemis on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bemis, who took part in the first fire-rescue class at South Adams High School, is a 2016 graduate of Jay County High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He started his fire service career as a cadet with the Bryant volunteer fire department in 2012. He joined Jay County EMS in 2017, then became a part-time firefighter with the Union City, Indiana, fire\/EMS department in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also was a paid-on-call firefighter with the Portland department, becoming a full-time regular in 2019, then promoted to lieutenant in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bemis left Union City in March of this year to work for Adams Memorial Hospital’s EMS and also was brought on by the Monroe fire department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A resident of Monroe since 2024, Bemis and his wife, Lindsey, are the parents of two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STILL HIRING: The Decatur department is still taking applications for career (full-time) firefighters and paid-on-call (POC) firefighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applications packets for both positions are available at the fire station, 206 S.7th St., between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A packet also may be downloaded from the City of Decatur website: www.cityofdecatur.in.gov<\/a>
Completed applications should be taken to City Hall in downtown Decatur, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They also may be emailed to: applications@cityofdecatur.in.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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