Huntingburg firefighter Larry Patberg honored at Statehouse for 50 years of service

Larry Patberg’s 50 years with the City of Huntingburg Volunteer Fire Department reached the Indiana Statehouse this spring, putting a Dubois County firefighter’s half-century of service at the center of a broader reminder: small communities still depend on volunteers who answer calls for decades, not just years.

The Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association recognized Patberg during an April 24 ceremony in Indianapolis, where 91 firefighters from across Indiana were honored for reaching the 50-year mark. The association said those honorees were designated Gold Card Life Members, meaning they receive a gold card, are considered life members, no longer pay dues and retain benefits.

State Rep. Stephen Bartels, who represents the area, joined the association in recognizing Patberg and other long-serving firefighters. Bartels also authored House Concurrent Resolution 16 during the 2026 legislative session, giving the local honor a formal place in the Statehouse record. The resolution was introduced Feb. 3 and its digest says it recognizes and honors volunteer firefighters with 50 years or more of service. Reps. Doug Miller, Timothy O’Brien and Shane Lindauer signed on as co-authors, while Sens. Michael Crider, Scott Baldwin and Chris Garten were listed as Senate sponsors.

The recognition carried weight beyond ceremony because it highlighted how volunteer departments function in Indiana. The IVFA says its mission is to foster and promote unity and harmony among volunteer fire departments throughout the state, a structure that depends on residents willing to build long careers around emergency response without the full-time framework of a career department. Bartels said volunteers like Patberg are the backbone of fire departments because they give up their own time away from work and family to serve others.

Patberg is listed on the City of Huntingburg fire department roster as a firefighter, and Scott Patberg is listed there as assistant chief, underscoring the family’s active presence in the department. The April 24 ceremony also recognized other local long-serving firefighters, including Scotty Holderman, Bremen Fire Chief Matt Neher, Denie Good of the Argos Fire Department, Carl Middaugh of the Bourbon Fire Department and Russell Oberg of the Macy Fire Department.

For Dubois County, the Statehouse honor was more than a plaque and a handshake. It put a local firefighter’s 50-year record in the same frame as the long-term question facing volunteer departments everywhere: how to keep enough people coming in to sustain the emergency response system that communities like Huntingburg have relied on for generations.