Washel
The next Greenwood fire chief will start the job later this summer.
James “Jayme” Washel, currently the acting chief of the Bloomington Fire Department, will become the new chief of the Greenwood Fire Department effective Aug. 1, city officials announced Thursday. A search for a new fire chief has been ongoing since the start of the year after former chief Darin Hoggatt retired on Feb. 3.
Washel will bring over 23 years of experience to the job, including several years of leadership experience as the deputy fire chief in Bloomington. He is familiar with the budget process, developing and implementing policies and procedures, and providing administrative direction for fire department functions, city officials say.
“He has a strong administrative background and he just stood out as a very stellar applicant of all that we interviewed,” Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.
At Greenwood, Washel will oversee the department’s staff of more than 110 employees, including administrative staff and both full-time and part-time firefighters. Coming to Greenwood is a fantastic opportunity, Washel said.
“It’s a fantastic city. It’s got a fantastic fire department,” he said. “I can’t wait to lead that fire department and earn their trust and move forward.”
Washel is a third-generation firefighter. He spent his childhood in Bloomington and moved to Greenwood at age 12. He graduated from Greenwood Community High School and went to Purdue University on a football scholarship.
He stayed in Greenwood until he was 26, after which he spent several years in Phoenix before coming back and joining the Bloomington Fire Department. He rose up through the ranks to deputy chief and acting chief, he said.
He has presented multiple times at the National Fire Chief’s Summit. He is a board member of Indiana Fire Instructors and has been selected as Fire Officer of the Year, city officials say.
The search for a new fire chief had been ongoing for over five months and was complicated by the contested mayoral primary. When asked in April, Myers said people seemed initially hesitant to apply, likely because of the election.
Officials interviewed many candidates during the search period and searched for a candidate who could help lead the department in a strong direction and keep them on the right track, Myers said.
“He’s the one to do it,” Myers said.
Washel is excited to come to Greenwood, though it will be a challenge moving his family — his wife, who is a nurse, and his daughter, who is graduating from Butler University. Washel’s family wants to live within city limits, and plans on renting a home for the first year to get the lay of the land, he said.
“I’ve been back to Greenwood from time to time, but it certainly has grown over the last 30 years since I’ve graduated there,” Washel said.
Since Hoggatt retired, GFD’s acting chief has been Assistant Chief Brad Coy, who will continue in this role until Washel begins in August. The department has been in good hands under Coy, Myers said.
This year has seen a few retirements for Greenwood Fire. Along with Hoggatt, EMS Division Chief Brandon Nicoloff retired in April and the department’s training chief is set to retire in a few weeks.
A new EMS chief has already been selected through internal interviews, and internal interviews are ongoing for the training chief’s replacement, Myers said.
