The Shelbyville News reports that Shelby County, Ind., native Mike Schantz has come out of retirement to become the county's first full-time emergency management coordinator.

"I'm a firm believer in communication," Schantz told the paper. "Emergency management is like an umbrella. We bring everybody under the umbrella to work together, whether it's a snow emergency, a tornado or a large fire like the one that happened at Knauf." Schantz spent the first three years of his career as a deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, before joining the city-county ambulance service. He later moved from the southern Indiana county north to Marion County and served 22 years on the Washington Township Fire Department, which is near Indianapolis. He retired in 2005 as division chief of operations.

Schantz told the paper that he plans to apply for a number of grants that might help Shelby County fund self-contained breathing apparatuses, safety equipment and radios.

Jack Boyce had served 14 years as part-time coordinator, but did want the full-time job.