The Middleton Township Board of Trustees unanimously ratified hiring Andrew Carter as the new chief of the Middleton Township Fire Department during its regular meeting on June 18. Carter will officially start on June 30 and succeed Chief Steve Asmus, who is retiring next month after serving 46 years with the department, the past 18 as chief.
According to Trustee Mike Moulton, Carter stood out among a field of highly qualified applicants, will bring a wealth of experience as a leader and first responder to the township, and be instrumental in the continued evolution of the fire department.
“Over the past several years, our township has seen a significant population increase as well as record run totals for our fire and EMS departments,” Moulton said. “Our first responders have done an admirable job, but the board has long considered transitioning from a paid-per-run to part-time, and eventually to a full-time response model, and merging EMS with the MTFD as two key tactics to proactively address community growth-related challenges. When Chief Asmus announced his retirement, the board began the search for a candidate we were confident could step in and continue taking the department to the next level and beyond. And at the conclusion of the selection process, Andy Carter was at the top of our list.”
Moulton further noted that in addition to firefighting, paramedic and leadership acumen, relevant credentials and education, key factors in the selection process included adept communication skills and a background in recruitment, personnel development and previous experience serving on a volunteer fire department.
Carter led in the establishment and was chief of the Southeast Ambulance District for the past six years, and served as an acting captain, firefighter and paramedic with the Perrysburg Township Fire Department since 2014. He has also served with the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department for nearly 25 years. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Fire Service Administration from BGSU, and is currently completing the Ohio Fire Executive Program through the National Fire Academy.
A swearing-in ceremony for Carter is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on July 2 at the township complex on North Dixie Highway.
