Beebe's addition fills roster of GFD fulltime firefighters

The newest Greencastle firefighter, Robert Brock Beebe, is sworn in officially by Mayor Sue Murray Thursday afternoon at City Hall. Beebe previously was a reserve firefighter for the department.

The Greencastle City Fire Department was restored to full strength Thursday as Robert Brock Beebe was sworn in by Mayor Sue Murray and took his first GFD shift as a regular.

The addition of Beebe returns the GFD roster to 16 fulltime city firefighters, Chief Bill Newgent said.

The department had been functioning one regular short since Christy Glass was named city fire inspector back in January.

Glass and city building inspector Dave Varvel, also a former GFD firefighter, are considered civilian employees with the fire department.

The GFD manpower also includes six part-timers and 12 reserves, Chief Newgent noted.

Beebe "will be a day shifter," the chief said, adding that the new addition began his GFD career at 7 a.m. Thursday.

Newgent proudly addressed being able to reward some homegrown talent with a fulltime position in the department.

"Brock actually comes from our reserve division," Newgent said. "He was promoted through, and is now a fulltime firefighter."

Beebe had served as a reserve for GFD since Oct. 23, 2011, but that was not his first exposure to firefighting.

He previously served as a Texas firefighter for the community of West Columbia.

Also an emergency medical technician (EMT), Beebe has completed Firefighter I and Firefighter II training in Indiana. He also has taken hazardous materials (hazmat) operations training and will begin taking the Hazmat Technician Course on May 18.

Beebe and wife Nikki and their two children moved back to Greencastle from Texas in 2011. Daughter Lauren, 14, is a Greencastle Middle School eighth-grader, while son Austin, 9, is in third grade at Tzouanakis Intermediate School.