Draper hired as new fire chief

The City of Vermillion has announced the hiring of Richard Shannon Draper as the city's new fire chief.

Draper's career spans more than 25 years, during which time he served a wide variety of departments, from volunteer to military to public, in a host of places including Pennsylvania, Kosovo and Hungary. Most recently, he lectured in South Korea about advanced leadership skills for fire service chief officers.

His most recent experience with a career fire department was in Missouri.

Draper replaces Fire Chief Doug Brunick, who retired in June after more than 30 years of service. To find a replacement for him, the city embarked upon a national search for a new chief, reviewing applications and conducting a series of phone and in-person interviews, eventually narrowing the pool down to three applicants.

Draper will begin his duties in Vermillion late this month.