(Greensburg, IN) – The Greensburg Optimist Club awarded the 29th annual Firefighter of the Year award to Letts Community Fire Department EMS Battalion Chief Calvin Venable during the organization’s meeting Thursday morning at the department’s new Fire Station One on Barachel Lane.
Venable has been in the fire service for 34 year as an EMT and Paramedic. He received his EMT certification in Kentucky in 1990, and moved to Greensburg in 1997.
In 2005, Venable became a paramedic when he received his paramedicine license.
Venable served as EMS Manager at Decatur County Memorial Hospital from 2020-2024. He joined the Letts Community Volunteer Fire Department in 2022, and started in his current role there earlier this year.
It was noted that the fire service’s bread and butter was traditionally responding to and putting out fires. But in the late-1960s and early-1970s, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics became commonplace in fire departments throughout the U.S.
These services include responding to motor vehicle accidents and medical emergencies, and with medicine being practiced in the field instead of a hospital transformed the fire service. EMS calls currently make up the majority of many fire departments’ runs.
The late Merrill Smith and Greensburg Assistant Fire Chief Brian Wenning started the Greensburg Optimist Club Firefighter of the Year program in 1996 to honor a Decatur County firefighter each year for their public service, dedication and spirit of optimism.
Past recipients are listed below:
Below are past recipients:
- 1996 Don Minning, Greensburg
- 1997 Carl Geis, Clarksburg
- 1998 Ken Ramer, Greensburg
- 1999 Brian Wenning, Greensburg
- 2000 David Israel, Burney
- 2001 All Decatur County Fire Chiefs/Firefighters
- 2002 Mike Gasper, Westport
- 2003 Rand Hooten, Burney
- 2004 Scott Chasteen, Greensburg
- 2005 Bert Baltus (posthumously), Letts
- 2006 Bill Smith, Clarksburg
- 2007 Gary Wolford, New Point
- 2008 Andy Witkemper, Millhousen
- 2009 Jay Mattox, Westport
- 2010 Rick Bullard, St. Paul
- 2011 All Decatur County Fire Chiefs/Firefighters
- 2012 Rick Emsweller, Greensburg
- 2013 Brad Speer, Clarksburg
- 2014 Steve Garrett, Greensburg
- 2015 Randy Carson, Westport
- 2016 Carl Geis, Clarksburg
- 2017 Byron Baltus, Letts
- 2018 Rick Johnson, Clarksburg
- 2019 Randy & Marilyn Hoeing, Greensburg
- 2020 Matt Stone, Millhousen
- 2021 All Decatur County Fire Chiefs/Firefighters
- 2022 Chris Springmeyer, Greensburg
- 2023 Curtis Lewis, Greensburg
