‘I like helping people’: From volunteer EMT to state-level director, motivation doesn’t change for new Carmel Fire Department chief

Joel Thacker’s journey to becoming chief of the Carmel Fire Department didn’t always follow the traditional path.

But in all his roles – from the cadet program at a volunteer fire station to director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security – he felt the same motivation to go to work each day.

“I like helping people,” he said. “That’s really at the heart of who I am, whether that’s in a fire, EMS or someone falls down at the grocery store.”

Thacker’s first day with CFD was Sept. 3, and the city held a public swearing-in ceremony the following week at The Tarkington theater. He replaced David Haboush, who retired after 32 years with CFD, the final nine of those as chief.

At the ceremony, Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam said Thacker is well positioned to lead CFD at a time when “the role of our fire department has never been more crucial.”

“What truly sets Chief Thacker apart is not just his extensive experience but his vision for the future of fire safety and emergency services here,” she said. “As a licensed paramedic with advanced degrees in business administration and criminal justice and public safety, he brings a unique blend of operational experience as well as strategic thinking to this role. Chief Thacker understands that the challenges facing our fire department in the 21st century are complex and ever evolving.”

A winding path

During his early years at Center Grove High School, Thacker thought he might enlist in the military after graduation. That changed when he took part in a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office program exploring careers in law enforcement, which then led to a cadet program at a nearby volunteer fire station.

“I fell in love with the fire department and became an EMT in high school and started working for Myers Ambulance Service in Greenwood,” he said.

After turning 21 years old, he began working for Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis, going on EMS runs primarily in the inner city. He finished his paramedic training there and left the position in 1996, working in Brownsburg and then White River Township as a firefighter paramedic.

In 2012, Thacker served as fire chief for the City of Columbus for a short period before becoming assistant chief with the Brownsburg Fire Territory and later chief of the Plainfield Fire Territory.

Thacker was set to become the state fire marshal in April 2020 but started the job a few weeks early when it became clear the COVID-19 pandemic was going to make a major impact on the Hoosier state.

“The governor’s office said, ‘Can you start early? Because things are getting serious, and we really need to start developing a plan to mitigate this,” Thacker said. “So, that was an interesting time.”

Thacker said he took part in daily cabinet-style meetings soon after starting the job as state officials tried to determine how to respond to the pandemic. Part of his role included determining how to best protect first responders – who didn’t have the option of isolating or working from home – as COVID-19 spread.

“A defining moment for me early on was in April (2020), when the Terre Haute Fire Department lost a firefighter to COVID,” he said. “That was the first line-of-duty death from that, and that’s when it really hit all of us that we have to figure this out. We have to be better and learn from (the firefighter’s) sacrifice, because to not help people is not an option.”

The state fire marshal works within the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and when the previous director left in mid-2022 Thacker stepped into the role. He served there until becoming CFD chief. After more than four years working in state government, he was ready for a change.

“(That CFD fire chief role) doesn’t open up to the outside very often, and to potentially have the opportunity to lead this organization in this city was something that I wanted to take a look at,” Thacker said. “The reason I went to the state as a fire chief was to make a difference there. The things that frustrated me at the local level, I wanted to try to understand at the state level and make things better, make things easier for the local (departments). And I think we did that.”

Always improving

As he adjusts to his new role, Thacker is taking time to visit the Carmel fire stations to learn more about them and the surrounding areas they serve.

He described CFD as a top-level agency but said no matter how many accolades first responders receive, they must always be looking for ways to improve.

“The expectation is that when the men and women show up, they can solve the problem,” Thacker said. “That means we have to be ready and focus (on) always getting better.”

Thacker has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in criminal justice and public safety from Indiana University. He and his wife, Julie, a graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School, are the parents of two children, Elaina and Aidan.

‘He would be proud’

For the last few years, Carmel Fire Department Chief Joel Thacker has carried former state fire marshal Roger Johnson’s badge with him wherever he goes. Johnson presented it to Thacker shortly before he died in April 2021.

The two met when Thacker was a young firefighter and Johnson was selling nozzles for Elkhart Brass. They developed a friendship, and Thacker said Johnson frequently advocated for him as he progressed in his career over the years.

“He is with me,” Thacker said. “He would be proud of my service to the state. He would be proud of my time as fire marshal and homeland security director. He would have loved to have been (at the CFD fire chief swearing-in ceremony) for the pomp and circumstance.”