Lucas Ray has long had the desire to be the Carmel Fire Dept. fire marshal.
“I have always been interested in trying to better myself within the fire service,” said Ray, who was appointed June 1 to the position. “I have been the deputy fire marshal for the past six years and had considered moving to the fire marshal position at some point in my career. The opportunity became available earlier than I had expected, but with the help of Deputy Fire Marshals Chris Ellison, Keith Freer and Chris Rohr, I have no doubt our division will be moving in the right direction.”
Ray replaces Bruce Knott, who retired after 22 1/2 years of service with CFD. Knott took a job with Beck’s Hybrids.
Ray, a Westfield High School graduate, has been with CFD for 11 years, including six in the prevention bureau. He previously was a volunteer for Jackson Township Fire Dept. in Hamilton County for a short stint.
Ray said fire marshal duties are listed as code enforcement, which involves plan reviews and life safety inspections on all new construction projects throughout the city; fire investigations of origin and cause; fire and life safety education within the community schools, nursing homes, businesses and various other settings; and crew inspections and pre-planning programs for commercial buildings in the district.
“(Ray) has a solid understanding of the inner-workings of our prevention division regarding investigations, prevention, inspections, public education, plan review and building codes,” CFD Fire Chief David Haboush said. “Over the last several years, Luke has been very creative in working both internally and externally with community members to resolve issues ensuring the best outcomes for our firefighters and our community. Luke is a very articulate, intelligent and dedicated firefighter who brings a wealth of knowledge to the Carmel Fire Prevention Division.”
Ray, 39, has bachelor’s of science and master’s of science degrees from IUPUI. Ray and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Isaac, 22, and Aiden, 17. Isaac is a senior at Manchester University and Aiden is a Hamilton Heights High School senior. The family lives in Atlanta, Ind.
