New year, same mission for Greencastle Fire Department

The department ran two hiring processes and added five firefighters, which is a third of the personnel.

A year ago, Rob Frank was learning the ins and outs of being a fire chief as the veteran firefighter was appointed to the chief position by Greencastle Mayor Lynda Dunbar. 

"The year has gone great. I couldn't be happier than I am now serving as the Fire Chief. With that being said, it has been an extremely busy year, adjusting to the new role and managing everything that we have had going on," Frank told The Putnam County Post. 

Frank said one thing that surprised him was all that went into the administrative side of serving as chief. 

"I wasn't as prepared for the administrative side of things as I thought I was. In my role as the Assistant Chief, I dealt more with the operations side of the department, and there were a lot of things that I was not involved in when it came to budgeting, claims, etc. I would like to give kudos to the Clerk Treasurer and her team at City Hall for helping me learn the things that I needed to be successful," Frank admitted. 

Two areas that Frank focused in on during his first year were hiring and training, both of which he said are "vital" to the Greencastle Fire Department and the residents. 

"The new firefighters were very vital. We had three firefighters retire and two who left the department. We were short handed all of last year. Our last new hire started on January 1, 2025, bringing us to full staff for the first time since January of last year," Frank said. 

The department ran two hiring processes and added five firefighters, which is a third of the personnel, according to Frank.

"The additional training was also vital to get them up to speed. Thankfully, all of them have previous experience at other departments before coming to GFD," Frank said. 

As for training, Frank made it a point on day one to preach the importance of training, calling it one of his "objectives as chief."

"As a department, when we are not going on responses, we need to be preparing to go on responses. We owe that to the citizens in our response area," he said. 

As he has entered his second year as chief, Frank admits training will continue to be a priority, but with a bit of a twist.

"We are looking at ramping up our fire training, as well as bringing in several instructors from outside of our department. I think it is important to bring in outsiders to gain new perspectives and to gain knowledge on what other departments are doing that we might be able to implement," Frank said. 

The twist is a renewed focus on physical fitness, something Frank began last year. 

He said the department focused on physical fitness last year by adding a physical fitness program, as well as a work performance evaluation. 

"Last year, we sent three firefighters to the IAFF Peer Support course, which focuses on mental health. This year, we would like to send some of our firefighters to the IAFF Peer Fitness Trainer Course. Certified trainers will be able to help other firefighters who may be struggling with their physical fitness. We feel like physically and mentally fit firefighters perform their jobs better and are less prone to get injured on the job," Frank said.