PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN | THE VILLAGE REPORTER
NEW FIRE CHIEF … Veteran firefighter Jason Marvin (above) was named as the new fire chief for the Madison Township-Kunkle Fire Department on New Year’s Day. He brings plenty of experience to his new role, having served with different fire departments in Williams County for the last 18 years.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
For nearly two decades, Jason Marvin has been involved serving as a firefighter with three different fire departments in Williams County.
A resident of the rural Pioneer area, Marvin, 45, was recently appointed as the new fire chief for the Madison Township-Kunkle Fire Department, which is one of the smallest fire departments in the county.
Marvin, who took over the fire chief’s position on January 1, 2026, succeeded Ben Baldwin, who was promoted to Chief Deputy with the Williams County Sheriff’s Office, whose resignation had taken effect the same day.
Once the fire chief’s position became open, Marvin said the Madison Township trustees were asking about him, and he did not actively seek the position.
“I’m going to say some of my friends from other fire departments and close to the area had talked to the trustees and recommended me as being a good fit for it,” said Marvin. “A lot of those guys have been working around for years now in fire service.”
The decision was made to select Marvin as fire chief in October or November 2025.
“They (trustees) sat down with a few of us talking about the position,” said Marvin. “I think they wanted to know what our intent was, and our thoughts were just everything they asked.”
Having spent the last 18 years as a firefighter serving on the Brady Township, Pioneer, and Madison Township-Kunkle fire departments, the new fire chief is looking forward to the challenge of protecting Madison Township and Kunkle with enhanced fire protection.
A graduate of Hilltop High School and Northwest State Community College, Marvin, who is also employed at North Star Blue Scope Steel in Delta, said his work experience has helped prepare him for responding to fires, noting that dealing with steel mill fires is part of his daily routine.
“Becoming the new fire chief will give me a chance to help and serve people,” said Marvin. “I want to have good patience in a lot of different situations. I also want to keep a cool head when all hell is breaking loose, which is a key for some of the situations we’re in.”
One of the areas in which Marvin has encountered throughout his firefighting career is dealing with auto accidents involving injuries or even death.
“When you get into the accidents and some of that stuff, it could have its moments for sure,” commented Marvin. “Everybody copes with things differently. It’s probably made me numb about a lot of things, probably more than I care to realize.”
Marvin will lead a fire department that includes four trucks and 14 firefighters, including two who serve as first responders only and four who are both first responders and firefighters.
“My big thing was focusing on training, getting everybody to a really healthy level of understanding and hands-on experience with the trucks,” said Marvin. “Anyone in this department could be trusted to take the truck out and do something with it, even if it’s just by themselves.”
One of his concerns about the job involves the political side between departments and people, as it is often part of the role.
“That’s been an ongoing thing well before my time,” he pointed out. “There were always people butting their heads with different opinions. This is where I think I’ll benefit from this because I get along pretty much with everybody in this area and the fire departments around us.”
Another lofty goal for Marvin to achieve is to make the Madison Township-Kunkle Fire Department pressure the other fire departments to really step it up.
“Right now, I feel like were the ‘little guys’ who are going to root for the ‘little guy,’” said Marvin. “I feel like we’re probably at the lower end because of numbers.
“Our response side hasn’t been the best out of the gate when we’re called. And there are a lot of guys that are close to the station and can leave work.”
The new fire chief has plenty of valuable support from his family, including his wife, Jennifer, daughter Emily (16) and son Cameron (14).
“She (Jennifer) has been very supportive,” said her husband. “It’s been busy so far, just over the past couple of weeks, getting caught up on everything and programs I need to be set up in for the reporting and getting familiar with the grants, putting in for as many of those as we can.”