GOSHEN, Ind. -- After serving the Goshen Fire Department for over 40 years, Chief Dan Sink was named Indiana Fire Chief of the Year by the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association at the Indiana Emergency Response Conference Awards on Friday in Noblesville.

"I am both honored and humbled to receive the award for Fire Chief of the Year," said Chief Dan Sink. "What makes this so very special is that the nomination comes from the peers you work with in fire service. I am further honored to represent the Goshen Fire Department and the City of Goshen."

Sink became chief in September 2005 after stints as assistant chief and EMS chief.

"Chief Sink's leadership and dedication have profoundly impacted the safety of Goshen," Mayor Gina Leichty said. "He is truly deserving of this recognition."

Fire officials say that during Sink's tenure, the department assumed responsibility for the Elkhart Township Fire Department, initiated plans for a new fire station, and launched the Goshen Fire Academy, which recently graduated its inaugural class.

“We always look for opportunities to serve the Goshen community beyond our daily emergency response, and being able to provide education to Goshen students has been a dream of ours,” Sink said of the academy.

Sink plans to retire in November, and it has already been determined that he will be succeeded by current GFD Assistant Chief Anthony Powell.