Elkhart City commission promotes captain to battalion chief and approves hiring slate

The Elkhart City Fire Merit Commission approved the promotion of Captain Marty Dyer to battalion chief and authorized a slate of new hires at its meeting.

Fire Chief Rodney Dale told the commission he had offered and that Captain Marty Dyer had accepted a promotion to battalion chief of battalion 106 on B shift, saying the promotion is effective immediately. During his announcement Dale read a citation from state law as recorded in the transcript (read aloud as "Indiana code 36Dash8Dash3.5Dash6516"). "I am pleased to announce the promotion of captain Marty Dyer to battalion chief with the Elkhart City Fire Department," Dale said. The commission moved to approve the promotion, and members approved it by voice vote.

Chief Dale also asked the commission to authorize hires from the department's approved hiring list, with most hires to be effective March 2, 2026. The commission approved motions — each made and seconded — to hire the following applicants as presented by the chief: Zachary Parker; Mario Perez (the chief initially misspoke the surname as "Lopez" and corrected it to Perez); Ethan Smith; Adam Trejo; Gavin Smith; Natalie Jimenez; Samuel Newsome; Cameron Cast; Samuel Atwater; Jacob Norman; Braden Lane; Madeline Miller; and Jenderious Greer. The chief noted that some applicants could not attend the meeting and that they would be present on March 2. Dale also informed the commission that Andrew Wilson had contacted the department to say he is moving back to Virginia and that his name should be removed from the list.

Most personnel motions were approved by voice vote; the record in the transcript shows the motions were seconded and carried but does not show a roll-call tally for individual commissioners. The promotions and hires follow the department's hiring list and were presented as routine personnel actions.

The commission did not record additional conditions or contingencies for the hires during the meeting. Chief Dale closed his remarks by thanking members and confirming the department will complete onboarding steps before the hires' start dates.