Columbus hires 5 new firefighters

Staff Reports

The Columbus Fire Department has hired five new firefighters, bringing department staffing to 94. They fill voids left by recent retirements.

All five have served with public safety agencies before joining the city department.

Craig Johannigman is a 2003 graduate of Batesville High School. He entered the fire service in 2005 as a volunteer, and in 2007 joined the Greensburg Fire Department. Johannigman has been a member of the Air Force National Guard since 2009. His certifications include emergency medical technician, rope rescue technician, confined space technician, hazardous materials technician and swift water rescue technician. He and his family live in Decatur County.

Mark Dunn is a 2006 graduate of Indian Creek High School. He has a business management degree from Eastern Washington University. Dunn has served as a volunteer firefighter for the Trafalgar Fire Department since 2011 and as a part-time firefighter at the Greenwood Fire Department from 2014 to this year. His certifications include instructor, emergency medical technician and vehicle and machinery rescue technician. Dunn lives in Trafalgar.

Andrew Johns is a 1998 graduate of Perry Meridian High School. He has been a volunteer firefighter for the New Whiteland Fire Department since 2011 and the Greenwood Fire Department since March 2014. Johns is an emergency medical technician and has completed numerous fire service training courses. He and his family currently live in Franklin.

Dylan Piercy is a 2010 graduate of Mt. Vernon High School and 2014 graduate of Ivy Tech Community College, with an associate degree in public safety. He is currently a volunteer firefighter with the Sugar Creek Fire Department, where he has served for one year. Piercy is an emergency medical technician and has completed multiple fire service training courses. He lives in Hancock County.

Scott Bell is a 2008 graduate of Southport High School and a 2012 graduate of Ivy Tech Community College with an associate degree in public safety-fire science. He has served on the New Whiteland Fire Department for three years. Bell is an instructor, emergency medical technician, vehicle and machinery rescue technician and has completed various training courses related to firefighting. He and his family live in Greenwood.

The firefighters will participate in department orientation and training sessions before receiving shift and station assignments.

They were sworn in by Mayor Kristen Brown on Oct. 6 during the Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.