A new Franklin Fire Department chief and deputy chief will bring a vision for growth to the office starting Jan. 1.
Current chief Matt Culp is stepping back to his previous rank of captain to spend more time with his family, he said. Culp has been the chief for three years of his 26 years with the department.
“I love the city and I love the fire department and I’m (also) going to love going back to my old job,” Culp said.
Culp’s current deputy chief Joshua Snyder steps into the chief job on Jan. 1, while firefighter Preston Stark is skyrocketing up the leadership chain to deputy chief.
In a statement on the appointment, Mayor Steve Barnett said Snyder is a natural choice for the job because of his vision for the department and his experience.
Snyder has worked for Franklin Fire for 17 years, with experience in several leadership roles. He is a Brown County native who has lived in Nineveh for over 20 years. He is also the current chief of the Nineveh Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Franklin native Stark’s 13 years on the fire department, along with leadership initiative he’s taken over his career make him a good candidate for this role, Barnett said.
The two were chosen after an application process following Culp’s notice he wanted to step back, Snyder said.
The vision for the department Barnett alluded to in the statement is one of overall growth for the department, which is Johnson County’s only completely full-time fire department. Growth in public safety is often looked at as just staffing, but it is also about more training, updated equipment and increased public education on fire safety, Snyder said. The growth he has in mind will address each of those, he said.
As chief, Snyder said he wants to be accessible to the people of Franklin and be present at events in uniform. He encourages people to come up to him and ask them any questions on their minds.
Stark has over 13 years of firefighting experience, including seven with Franklin, four with Bargersville Community Fire Department and several years of volunteer experience with Needham Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Stark’s first experience with firefighting came from Franklin Fire’s cadet program, which he was part of while he was a student at Franklin Community High School. To soon be the second in command of the department that introduced him to firefighting means a lot to him, he said.
Both Stark and Snyder bring a love of serving the community to their roles, they said.
“I like to be able to help people,” Stark said. “You see people on their worst days and you’re that shining light.”
