Ella Dean, 17, of the Argos Fire Territory, has been crowned the 2026 Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association (IVFA) State Miss Flame, representing District 5 at the IVFA State Convention held June 17-19 in Indianapolis. The honor makes District 5 a three-time home of the State Miss Flame title, Nicole Barden in 1997 and Amber Farrer in 2008.
Dean is currently a senior at Argos High School, where she serves as Vice President of the Student Council, is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Sunshine Society, and is Varsity Team Captain of the Softball Team. She also plays travel softball, participates in 4-H, works at Burger King in Plymouth, and can be found working in the Argos Fire Territory food booth at the Marshall County Fair each year.
The connection to the fire service runs deep for Dean. Her father, Mark Dean, has served as chief of the Argos Fire Department — now the Argos Fire Territory — since before she was born. She told GIANT fm WTCA that she entered the Miss Flame competition as a way to give back to the fire department and community that have shaped her life.
The Indiana Miss Flame competition is open annually to young women ages 15 to 18 who have immediate family members actively serving in a volunteer fire department or auxiliary. Contestants represent their local IVFA districts, participate in community parades, engage in charity drives, and compete for the state title at the annual convention.
IVFA District 5, chaired by John Grolich, encompasses 39 volunteer fire departments across five counties — Marshall, Fulton, Kosciusko, Wabash, and Pulaski.
Dean says she plans to make the most of her title by traveling the state to represent the IVFA and raise awareness for volunteer fire departments.
"It's going to be a very crazy year for me," she said. "But I'm really looking forward to it. I want to go around the state and visit all of these big events that other fire departments host just to get out there and represent the IVFA and get the name out there."
Both Dean and Grolich took the opportunity to encourage young men and women to consider volunteering with their local fire departments. Indiana is home to 830 volunteer fire departments and more than 1,300 volunteer firefighters — and the need for new volunteers continues to grow.
Dean plans to study business in college, though she has not yet decided where she will attend.
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