Photos submitted by Roxane Neibert, of Jackson Township VFD, and Lacy Hazelgrove, of Brown County VFD in Nashville.
Being a Volunteer Firefighter ~by Boris Ladwig
B
rown County’s volunteer firefighters come from different walks of life, join the departments at different ages and under different circumstances, but at their core they all share a desire to help their neighbors. “I do it because I finally found my niche and what I’m good at and that is helping other people,” said Lacy Hazelgrove, chief of the Brown County Volunteer Fire Department in Nashville.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping people,” said Brian Braunagel, volunteer firefighter with Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Department. “I just enjoy serving the community,” said Roxane Neibert, also with the Jackson Township department. Hazelgrove, a Brown County native, holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from Indiana University and worked in an
40 Our Brown County • Jan./Feb. 2024
emergency room in Florida before coming back to Indiana. She took a part-time job in dispatch for the sheriff’s office where she met a former fire chief, Nick Kelp. “I had always been interested in the fire service but you never see females in it,” she said. Kelp encouraged her to join, saying, “Yeah, females can do that. Why would you think otherwise?” So she went to the station, turned in her application and became part of the volunteer fire service. Of course, that was just the beginning. Hazelgrove, 40, points out that volunteer firefighters do the same training and get the same certifications as firefighters in professional departments. She got training in firefighting, hazardous materials and as an emergency medical technician, after which she began working for IU Health. She kept going and got an associate degree in paramedicine and worked with Avon Fire Department as a paramedic. Today, she is the president of the Brown County Volunteer Fire Department in Nashville, as well as the department’s public information officer and medical officer.