(New Marion, IN) – The New Marion Volunteer Fire Department is marking a leadership transition following the retirement of longtime Fire Chief Charles Meisberger.
Meisberger has retired after 49½ years as fire chief, capping a career that included additional years of service to the department and the New Marion community. Department officials credited his steady leadership and long institutional knowledge with shaping the department through decades of changes in equipment, training standards and emergency response expectations. Despite stepping down as chief, Meisberger will continue serving with the department.
The department has named Benjamin Smoker as its new fire chief. Smoker takes over leadership of the all-volunteer department at a time when rural fire departments across Indiana continue to face growing service demands and recruitment challenges.
Chief Smoker can be reached at 812-621-3062 or by email at newmarionfire@gmail.com
Department leaders encouraged community members to thank Meisberger for his decades of service and to support Smoker as he begins his tenure leading the New Marion Volunteer Fire Department.
