NEWS RELEASE - Fire & EMS Board Members Appointed

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2026

Contact: Emily Almodovar, PIO, Allen County Board of Commissioners, 260-449-7671, [email protected]

Allen County, Indiana – Today, the Allen County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint six individuals to the Allen County Fire & EMS District Board of Fire Trustees – the body that works with the Executive Fire Chief to provide oversight and governance to the Fire District.

During discussion, Commissioner Ron Turpin explained the three criteria that the commissioners used when selecting the new leadership. He explained that they were looking for people that, “understand fire and EMS and finances because we’re building a new entity. Each of these individuals has spent years involved in this work, so they aren’t people who’d be coming into this cold. They know what they are doing. The second thing [we were looking for] is time. These individuals have all said that they have the time to devote to this significant work.” He closed by sharing that, “The third thing is making sure that they have the ability to question,” saying that they needed to be able to ask hard questions and have hard discussions.

Appointing the six individuals is pursuant to Indiana Code, which establishes that County Council appoints the other three board members to complete a 9-person board with staggered term limits. 

To establish the staggered term limits for a newly created board, the commissioners had to appoint two of the individuals for one (1) year, two for two (2) years, and two for three (3) years. The Allen County Council will do likewise with their three appointments. Once these first preliminary terms end, full term limits of four (4) years will take effect.

Commissioner Therese Brown noted, “As it is constructed with the one, two, and three years, it helps with the stability going forward – there’s a rotation and continuity in leadership.” She declared that the Commissioners are “fully confident in all of these individuals. We believe in this system. We are the first in the State of Indiana to take this on. We want this to succeed. We want the community to come together to help make it successful.”  

The Commissioners appointed the following individuals – listed with their assigned term limits:

Robert Byrd               1/1/2027 – 12/31/2027

Larry Owen               1/1/2027 – 12/31/2027

Barry Kunkle             1/1/2027 – 12/31/2028

Michael Messman    1/1/2027 – 12/31/2028

Brian Minich              1/1/2027 – 12/31/2029

Garry Morr                 1/1/2027 – 12/31/2029

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