By Ken de la Bastide
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. — A significant change is coming to fire protection service in the four southern townships of Madison County.
Earlier this year, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance approved the merger of Lapel, Stony Creek Township, Markleville, Adams Township, Ingalls and Green Township fire departments with the Pendleton and Fall Creek fire departments.
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Those entities will become part of the South Madison Fire Territory.
The merger takes effect on Jan. 1 . It was approved earlier this year by officials from each community involved.
The change means that, for residents of Lapel and Markleville, two fire stations will be staffed around the clock every day of the year.
Chris Nodine, chief of the South Madison Fire Territory, said the department will hire 30 firefighters by the end of the year, which would bring total staffing to 60.
Nodine said Monday there will be a full-time staff of five firefighters at both the Lapel and Markleville stations.
He said 14 new firefighters will be hired shortly after Jan. 1 and another 16 will take part in a four-week training course.
Nodine said the department has also hired 14 medics to serve with the South Madison Fire Territory.
“We have been remodeling the Markleville and Lapel fire stations so that they can house the firefighters for 24 hours, seven days a week,” he said.
He said the application period ends Friday at 4 p.m. Applicants will undergo written and utility tests. He said some of those applying for positions will have to attend an academy for additional training.
Nodine said none of the current volunteers with the departments are leaving at the first of the year.
Matt Rambo, chief of the Adams Township/Markleville Fire Department, said he will be working as a shift supervisor in the Markleville station.
Rambo said the kitchen, bathrooms and an area for beds have been done at the station.
“This is going to make it better for the citizens in the area,” he said.
“We had a fire this morning and only three volunteers responded,” Rambo said Monday. “We got assistance from South Madison.”
He noted that all the stations will have full-time advanced life support personnel once the merger is completed on Jan. 1.
Nodine said the merged departments are looking at financing options to build a fourth fire station in Ingalls that will be fully staffed.
When the merger was being discussed, the chiefs of the Lapel and Adams Township departments said staffing had become an issue as fewer people are volunteering for the fire service.
Tom Marvel, the former chief of the Stony Creek/Lapel Fire Department, said his department’s run volume increased by 30% from 2019 to 2024.
“We’ve had a 33% decrease in manpower,” he said, noting that 57% of Stony Creek / Lapel fire volunteers don’t reside in Lapel.
“The merger marks an important step forward for public safety in our community,” the fire chief said. “By uniting our departments, we are ensuring that our firefighters have the tools, training and support needed to protect lives and property at the highest level.”
Earlier this year, the town of Pendleton, along with four townships and three other towns, agreed to a tax levy of 80 cents for every $100 of assessed value.
According to a public notice, the budget for 2026 would be $12.5 million, increasing to $14.7 million in 2027 and then $17.7 million in 2028.
The estimated property tax rate is 67 cents in 2026, 75 cents in 2027 and 87 cents in 2028.
The cost for a homeowner of property valued at $100,000 is estimated at $39.71 in 2026.
Property owners currently at the 1% cap for property taxes would see a minimal impact.
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