Four recently hired fire officers bring nearly 60 years firefighting experience to the Bargersville Community Fire Department.
Fire Chief James White administered the oath of office on Oct. 8 to Capt. Kevin P. Killinger, Lt. David S. Porter, Lt. Joe R. Shields and Lt. Thomas C. Tharpe.
The men were selected from a group of 26 who sought applications for the advertised positions.
Killinger was appointed the department’s full-time fire marshal.
 The new officers have completed orientation and now are prepared to lead firefighters at the scenes of emergency incidents. The first-line officers are at the core of emergency services delivered by BCFD and will ensure high quality standards.
Killinger, 31, Bargersville, became involved in the fire service in 1994, when he became a BCFD volunteer. He often cleaned fire hose, washed trucks and performed other odd jobs at Station 1.
He became a member of the department in 1996, the same year he graduated from Center Grove High School.
In November 2005, Killinger became a full-time firefighter with the City of Franklin and maintained his volunteer status at BCFD.
 Fire Marshal Killinger will oversee safety inspections of existing structures and commercial complexes under construction as part of his duties.
“I like interacting with the general public and developers as far as dealing with their buildings,” Killinger said. “I like being involved in growth and progress of the area and as fire marshal; I will be at the forefront of all of it.”
Killinger is married to Christie Killinger, and they have one daughter, Bailey, 11.  
Lt. Porter, 34, rural Amity, is a 1992 graduate of Franklin High School
He became interested in the fire service in 1995 as a member of the Amity Community Volunteer Fire Department. He also volunteered at BCFD.
He held every position within Amity’s fire department, including a 4-year stint as chief. Today, porter retains a volunteer rank of captain at Amity.
“My children were getting older and involved in many extracurricular activities and I wanted to spend more time at home,” Porter said of turning down an opportunity by Amity’s membership to nominate him to a second 4-year term as chief.
“The department deserved someone as chief who has the time to devote to the department and carry on the department’s values. It is a good volunteer department has a lot of good people involved.”
In 2000, Porter was hired as a Franklin firefighter.
“I applied to Bargersville (Community Fire Department) because I wanted the opportunity to help make it the best department possible serving a growing community,” Porter said.
Porter is married to Nicole Porter, and they have two children; Austin, 11, and Brittany, 6.
Lt. Shields, 38, Franklin, came to BCFD via the Shelbyville Fire Department.
Shields, a 1998 graduate of Oak Hill High School in Converse, Ind., was hired in 1992 as a firefighter with the Peru Fire Department in Miami County. He earned to the rank of lieutenant within five years and captain in his 10th year.
In 2006, he moved to Franklin and was hired in Shelbyville.
“I worked at Bargersville Community Fire Department as a volunteer and really enjoyed it,” Shields said. “I fell in love with the department and felt more comfortable than with a much larger department.”
Shields predicted the number of calls for help to BCFD will soar because of an increasing population and ongoing commercial development.
“The main reason I applied here was being able to be in on the growth and on the ground floor of helping develop the department,” Shields said. “I wanted to be part of the growth process and bring some of my experience to the department and its members while helping in the development of the department and community.”
Shields is a widower and has three children; Leigha, 20, a Purdue University student, Garrett, 17, and Logan, 14, both students at Maconaquah High School, Miami County.
Lt. Tharpe, 40, Trafalgar, is a 1987 graduate of Indian Creek High School.
He entered the fire service in 1992 at the Trafalgar Volunteer Fire Department. He served as a BCFD volunteer from 1995 to 2000 and served part-time for two years with White River Township Fire Department.
In 1999, Tharpe was hired fulltime at the Franklin Fire Department.
He was named chief of the Trafalgar Volunteer Fire Department in October 2007.
“I applied for the job at BCFD for a chance to be at a ground level in the development of a department dealing with the growth,” Tharpe said. “I have 16 years of experience, administrative knowledge and I am still learning.”
Tharpe believes his training in fire science and his ability to have a dual role as career firefighter and volunteer chief is a good fit for his talents.
“Every third day, I am a career firefighter,” he said. “The other two days, I am serving as a volunteer chief and I think it helps me understand the dynamics of both full-time and volunteer career paths.”
Tharpe is married to Beth Tharpe, and they have three children; Riley, 9, Gabrielle, 7 and Eliza 1.