New Indiana Homeland Security chief: Pandemic transformed emergency management
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The man responsible for leading Indiana’s response to major crises said Hoosiers can expect open, out-front leadership from him.
Joel Thacker became the new executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security in June. Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed him following the retirement of Steve Cox. The department handles the state’s emergency management and fire marshal functions as well as coordinating emergency response training efforts and other safety regulatory duties.
For Thacker, the new job represents the culmination of a lifetime of emergency service. Thacker said he first became interested in a public safety career through the Boy Scouts of America’s Exploring program. After first looking into law enforcement, Thacker enrolled in a fire cadet program in Johnson County.
“I knew that’s what I wanted to do my whole life,” he said.
Thacker eventually became chief of the Plainfield Fire Territory. He retired from that job in early 2020 and became the state fire marshal, holding that post until Holcomb tapped him to lead the entire department this summer.
Thacker joined Homeland Security just as the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. He said the pandemic forced planners to rethink their approach to emergency management. Thacker said the two biggest lessons from the pandemic are the importance of relationships and good communications.
“Maybe local health and local (emergency management agencies), local health and the fire service may not have communicated at a great deal, often they were forced to because of the pandemic,” he said.
Thacker says the growth of virtual training seminars due to the pandemic mean exercises now can include large numbers of people from many different agencies that were not possible beforehand. Moreover, he says many agencies ended up discussing other local issues during the course of pandemic response and now collaborate on a wide variety of matters. He says those lessons match what he learned in his time as a firefighter and paramedic.
“I can’t stress that enough. The ability to communicate with the sick and injured no matter what situation they find themselves in, to take care of them and help find some type of relief for their situation,” he said.
Beyond preparing for the next pandemic, Thacker says cybersecurity is one of the biggest public safety threats Indiana faces. He says Homeland Security continues to work with local and county-level agencies on ways to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks. Natural disasters remain a priority as well.
News 8 asked Thacker if renewed fears of nuclear war with Russia in the aftermath of that country’s invasion of Ukraine had prompted any additional planning for nuclear emergencies. He did not offer any specifics but said Homeland Security continually monitors current events and adjusts its plans accordingly.
On the public policy front, he says he will work closely with lawmakers and top elected officials to address first responders’ concerns. Thacker says one of his priority projects is continuing Homeland Security’s program to help fire departments dispose of firefighting foam that contains a group of chemicals known as PFAS. Popularly called “forever chemicals,” these compounds have been linked to cancer in firefighters. State law has prohibited firefighters from using foam containing PFAS in training settings since 2020.