Leadership

---

Fire Chief
​Kevin Groody

Chief Kevin Groody started his fire service career in January 1976 when he joined the American Hose Company in Ashland, Pennsylvania. He served that department as an engineer, EMT, Financial Secretary and Trustee. He later joined the Getzville Fire Depart in Buffalo, New York where he served as an engineer and ambulance driver. He also served the Prince George's County Fire Department in College Park, Maryland in the capacity of a Firefighter.

In 1997, Chief Groody joined Worthington as a volunteer firefighter. He served Worthington as a Firefighter/EMT as well as Assistant EMS Director until the spring of 2002. He was promoted to Lieutenant and later promoted to Captain before being promoted to Major in January 2005. 

In August of 2007, Kevin was promoted to Career Battalion Chief.  In October of 2012, Kevin was appointed Interim Fire Chief and was made permanent Chief in January 2013 served in that capacity until 2019 when Worthington merged with Anchorage Middletown. After the merger, Chief Groody served as the Executive Assistant Fire Chief of the newly merged department.

​He is a Certified EMT, IFSAC FFI and FFII Certified, Certified IFSAC Level I Instructor, Kentucky State Certified Instructor, an OSHA authorized instructor, a Confined Space Rescue Technician, a Hazardous Materials Technician and a Certified Incident Safety Officer.  A 2013 graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, he serves on the Executive Fire Officer annual symposium committee. 

Chief Groody's awards include the Worthington Volunteer Firefighter of the year 2002, Firemark Award for National Firefighter of the Year 2002 and Distinguished Service Citations in 2005 and 2018.

---

Chief Officers

In addition to serving as incident commanders at complex, long-term, or significant incidents, they assist the Fire Chief with administrative functions such as developing budgets, long-term planning, managing resources, and coordinating operations with other agencies. ​

Executive Assistant Chief
The Executive Assistant Chief is the Fire Chief's executive officer
Colonel Kevin Tyler

Deputy Chiefs
Deputy Chiefs supervise an operational area of the department 
EMS Operations: Colonel Mike Heilman
Fire Operations

• 1st Platoon Lt. Colonel Matt Goolsby
• 2nd Platoon Lt. Colonel Kent Kruer
• 3rd Platoon Lt. Colonel Mike Sutt ​

Planning: Lt. Colonel Brad Michel
Logistics and Support Services: Lt. Colonel David Colyer, Jr

Division Chiefs
Division Chiefs have expertise in specific functions in the fire department 
EMS Compliance: Lt. Colonel Keith Brooks
Community Risk Reduction: Major Steve Hanson
Fleet Maintenance: Major Joe Wolfe
Workforce Development: Major Dewayne McCray
​Safety & Wellness: Major Ron Maddux

​Battalion Chiefs
​The protection area of the fire department is divided into 2 geographic areas; referred to as Battalions.   A Battalion Chief leads the men and women who respond to incidents.  In addition to responding to incidents, Battalion Chiefs also manage the administrative functions of their assigned shift.

North Battalion
Major Eric Dryer
Major Mike Arth
Major Rick Haines

​South Battalion
Major David Taylor
Major Brad Oser
Major Harold Schewe

​​EMS Battalion
Major Frank Apanewicz
Major Steve Timmons
Major Ben Willen

---

Captains
Captains provide frontline supervision to fire and EMS crews or a division.  These officers typically have 6-10 years of experience.

Station Captains
Station Captains are assigned to the Fire Suppression Division and work a 24-hour on/48-hour off schedule. They supervise a crew of firefighters and act as the initial incident commander at fire and incident scenes.

Division Captains
​Divisions Captains are assigned to one of the Administrative divisions; Workforce Development, Support Services, or Fire Prevention. These captains provide leadership and expert knowledge in these divisions and work Monday through Friday.

EMS Shift Captains
​EMS Shift Captains provide essential leadership to the EMS Division and work a 24-hour on/48-hour off schedule.