The Columbus Fire Department welcomed six Columbus Firefighters to the department on Tuesday.
The firefighters were sworn in by Mayor Jim Lienhoop during Tuesday’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting at City Hall, filling vacancies that were created as a result of lateral transfers of CFD firefighters to other fire agencies within the state.
Firefighter Alexis Baxter, 32, is a 2009 graduate of Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour. Baxter is a nationally certified emergency medical technician and has been a volunteer firefighter with the Southwest Fire Department of Bartholomew County since 2021.
Firefighter Peyton Gerkin, 26, is a 2015 graduate of Jennings County High School. Gerkin is a graduate of IUPUI with a bachelor’s of science in public safety management. He served in the Army National Guard Airborne Infantry for seven years and previously served as a Greensburg police officer from 2020 to 2023.
Firefighter Matthew Mellencamp, 29, is a 2012 graduate of Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour. Mellencamp attended the University of Indianapolis where he earned a bachelor’s of science in criminal justice with a minor in psychology and business administration. Mellencamp has been in the fire service since 2011 and has served in both volunteer and career firefighter capacities at the following Indiana agencies: Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department, Cortland; Cicero Fire Department; and the Zionsville (IN) Fire Department. Firefighter Mellencamp’s certifications include emergency medical technician, firefighter I & II, fire officer, fire instructor, peer fitness trainer, CPR instructor, driver/operator, hazardous materials operations and vehicles and machinery operations.
Firefighter Cody Ross, 27, is a 2014 graduate of Columbus North High School. Ross has been in the fire service since 2020 and is currently a volunteer firefighter with the Southwest Fire Department of Bartholomew County and the Columbus Township Fire Department. He is currently enrolled in an emergency medical technician course and holds these certifications: firefighter I & II, hazardous materials operations and awareness and rope rescue operations.
Firefighter Maura “Mo” Shea, 28, is a 2012 graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland. Shea holds a bachelor’s of science in athletic training from Xavier University and a doctorate in athletic training from Indiana State University. Shea has established injury prevention and rehabilitation clinics throughout the country.
Firefighter Thomas Smith, 27, is a 2014 graduate of Columbus East High School. Smith has been a member of the German Township Volunteer Fire Department in Bartholomew County since 2022 and has obtained firefighter I & II and hazardous materials operations and awareness certifications.
All firefighters will undergo a department orientation and training program. Those not previously certified will obtain a basic emergency medical technician certification, firefighter I & II certification and hazardous materials operations and awareness certification. At the completion of all training requirements, each firefighter will receive a station and shift assignment.
