Chief John M. Buckman III (8 A 1)

Chief John M. Buckman III serves as Fire Chief of German Township Volunteer Fire Department in Evansville Indiana. He is a Past  President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. In 2001 he received designation as Chief Officer from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. Chief Buckman graduated from the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in 1988. President George W. Bush appointed Chief Buckman to the Department of Homeland Security State, Tribal and Local Advisory Group. In 2000 he was appointed to the America Burning Revisited Commission by President William J. Clinton. He is the co-author of the 3rd Edition of Recruiting, Training and Maintaining Volunteer Firefighters.

Chief Buckman was selected by Fire Chief Magazine in 1995 as Fire Chief of the Year. He has authored over 70 articles and presented at a variety of conferences in all 50 states as well as Canada. The Indiana Fire Instructors Association selected Chief Buckman as Instructor of the Year in 1986. In 2002 Chief Buckman was presented with the Distinguished Hoosier designation from Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon and was made a Sagamore of the Wabash - the State of Indiana highest honor for a citizen. Early in 2005, John received the title of Kentucky Colonel, Kentucky's highest award. He has been a member of the fire service for 34 years (He is in this 1973 photo with a splint on his left arm.) and Fire Chief for 30 years. He is married to Leslie and they have four grown daughters and four grandchildren.