Boone County Fire Protection District
Encyclopedia
The Boone County Fire Protection District (BCFPD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services for a large portion of Boone County, Missouri
. The BCFPD is the largest volunteer fire department and third largest fire service organization in the state, protecting 492 square miles (1,378 km²) of residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural property and over 50,000 people.
The Fire District operates with a volunteer staff of approximately 250 personnel who annually give over 117,000 hours of volunteer service to the organization, supported by a career staff of 16 people that provide training, maintenance, public safety education and administrative services to the District. The Fire District is governed by a voter elected five-member board (per state statutes) which oversees operations and appoints the fire chief. The fire chief designates such volunteers and career staff authorized by the Board as being essential to carry out the responsibilities of the Fire District.
The Boone County Fire District is an all hazards emergency response agency for the community and is dispatched by Public Safety Joint Communications, Boone County's 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) based in Columbia, MO. With an annual operating budget of $3.9 million, the Fire District is designated as the statewide hazardous materials team and serves as the base for the central Missouri fire incident management team for large-scale emergency events and the regional coordination point for Region F of the State Fire Mutual Aid System. Additionally, The Fire District operates Missouri Task Force One
, one of only 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Teams, is a division of the Fire District.
In 1964, in an abandoned chicken house on Route PP northeast of Columbia, the Central Missouri Radio Squad Volunteer Fire Department was formed. The first fire apparatus was an old milk delivery truck donated by Mr. J. Patrick Barnes. The first fire chief was John Dineen, a safety specialist for Columbia Mutual Insurance Companies. Donations were solicited, volunteers purchased gasoline out of their own pockets and some items were literally stolen during the early phases of development. Initial protection was provided through a membership or “fire tag” system that allowed Boone County residents to purchase fire protection for five dollars per year. In late 1964, sufficient funds were raised to start the construction of what was to become the first “real” fire station in the organization. This station was established on Route PP, approximately ½ mile east of what is presently Highway 63. Additional equipment was acquired through military surplus and additional donations.
In late 1965, Bill Westhoff assumed the position of fire chief. Westhoff was employed by the University of Missouri Fire Training Institute (MUFRTI). It was this early relationship that instilled the organizational commitment to a quality training program that continues today.
In 1970, state laws were adjusted to make the formation of fire protection districts in out-state Missouri easier. The volunteer firefighters of the Central Missouri Radio Squad campaigned actively throughout Boone County in an effort to form what was to become the first out-state fire protection district (outside the St. Louis/Kansas City area). With a voter approval rate of 375 ayes and 229 nays, the Boone County Fire Protection District was formed on July 11, 1970.
The first Board of Directors moved quickly to establish additional fire station locations in Rocheport
, Hallsville
and Harrisburg
. The facilities were meager, to say the least, and the equipment was very marginal; however, these locations ultimately developed into strong fire protection units and, in addition to the original station on Route PP in Columbia, became the hub of what was to ultimately become the third largest network of fire stations and fire apparatus in Missouri.
Additional fire stations were created in the mid 1970s in the Prathersville
area at what was then Cottonwoods Airport (now the Boone County Fair Grounds) and in Sturgeon through a cooperative arrangement with the Sturgeon Fire Department. In the late 1970s, additional fire station locations were established in the Rock Bridge and Midway areas.
Steve Paulsell was appointed as the organization’s first full-time fire chief in 1977. Paulsell joined the organization as a volunteer in 1970 and became the District’s first employee in 1972. Paulsell continued to serve as fire chief until December 2008.
In 1977, the Boone County Fire District initiated its Emergency Medical Services First Responder Program. Also in 1977, the Columbia/Boone County Public Safety Joint Communications Center went online, which combined the dispatching functions of all the emergency services in Boone County, Missouri and which continues to operate to this day. This system provides a more economically efficient system and, simultaneously, provides better coordination of all emergency services in Boone County.
In 1978, the Boone County Fire Protection District was instrumental in working with Boone County government to adopt and implement building and fire safety codes in Boone County. Prior to this time, there were no building standards in effect outside the city limits of Columbia and the results of inferior construction were noticeably evident. Today, the benefits of the code enforcement program are, likewise, as evident.
In April 1981, the Boone County Fire Protection District put before the voters its first capital improvements bond issue. This $1.5 million issue was overwhelmingly approved by the voters of the Fire Protection District and provided for the construction of a new fire station in the Prathersville area and in the Rock Bridge area south of Columbia to replace those already in service. In addition, eleven additional pieces of fire apparatus were purchased.
In 1991, another capital improvements bond issue was proposed to the voters and, like the one in 1981, was approved. Additionally, during this same election, an increase in the general revenue fund was authorized by the voters, which allowed the organization to hire additional support personnel and enhance many of the support programs. As a result of the capital improvements project, an additional twelve pieces of fire equipment were purchased, new stations were established on Route E northwest of Columbia, on Route WW east of Columbia and new stations were constructed in Sturgeon and Centralia. Additions were also made to the fire stations in Harrisburg and Rocheport.
In 1997, the Boone County Fire Protection District was designated a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. and Missouri Task Force One
was formed, significantly expanding the rescue capabilities of the organization locally, statewide and nationally. MOTF-1 is designated by FEMA as one of only 28 Federal Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces in the nation. As a federal resource, Missouri Task Force 1 is on call for federal disaster response and, upon activation, must be headed to their destination within six hours with 70 personnel, four search canines and 100,000 lb. of equipment. Missouri Task Force One was deployed to the World Trade Center
in New York City
on September 11, 2001, twice to Hurricane Katrina
during 2005, the Clinton, Missouri
building collapse on June 28, 2006 and most recently Hurricane Ike
on September 11, 2008.
In 1996, following a significant enhancement to the Fire District’s public fire and life safety education program, the Fire District was recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) for its development and implementation of the Fire District’s "Survival Kids" program. This life safety program, taught in all fourth grade classrooms in the Fire District by Boone County volunteer firefighters, was awarded the IAFC’s Fire Service Award of Excellence in 1996. This program has been shared with many other fire departments and, in addition to being taught in countless departments in our country, is also being taught in the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Japan and South Africa.
In 1998, the voters of the Fire District again overwhelmingly authorized a capital improvements project, which purchased 16 pieces of fire apparatus and established new stations locations southwest of Columbia, in the Dripping Springs area north of Columbia and the Deer Park area south of Columbia. Facilities were replaced in Midway, Harrisburg and Hallsville, with additions to existing facilities being constructed at Route WW, Rocheport, Prathersville, and Rock Bridge.
On November 25, 2008, after 38 years of service with the Fire District Stephen Paulsell was asked by the Fire District Board of Directors to accept a severance package and step down as the Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District. The move came after several controversies marred his tenure as fire chief. Deputy Chief Scott Olsen (Operations and Preparedness Bureau) was chosen to serve as interim Fire Chief until a permanent replacement could be found.
In May 2009 the Boone County Fire Protection District and the Columbia Fire Department
updated the territorial agreement which both agencies have operated under for the past 15 years. The previous agreement tasked the Fire District with emergency response to all areas annexed by the City of Columbia that the city was unable to provide service to and provided for annual compensation based on call volume. In 2008 the Fire District responded to over 400 calls within the City limits, totaling $672,000 in compensation. Under the revised agreement, areas that have been annexed by the City of Columbia will receive responses from both City and Fire District units, with overall command of the incident depending on who has jurisdiction. Compensation for the fire district has been set at $350,000 annually, with the amount to increase if more areas are annexed in the future. Both agencies have also entered into an increased level of cooperative training, with joint sessions occurring at both the Columbia Fire Training Academy and the Fire District Training Center.
On October 21, 2009, Interim Fire Chief Scott Olsen was selected by the Boone County Fire Protection District Board of Directors to become the new Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District. Chief Olsen previously acted as the interim chief for eleven months before being chosen in a nationwide search.
The training center, located at Prathersville and Highway 63, consists of a four story burn tower with pitched roof ventilation prop, a vehicle extrication area, and the Missouri Task Force One rubble pile.
Several Fire District personnel are actively involved in far reaching national and international emergency service programs, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Fire Service Training Association. Currently, three members serve on FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Response System Incident Support Team and six members serve on Missouri's Statewide Fire Mutual Aid Incident Support Team (Region F IST).
In November 2009 the Fire District purchased new software that will increase preparedness for large-scale incidents. The E-Sponder software will use mass notification tools such as cell phones, email, pagers, and global social media forms like Facebook to alert personnel about ongoing incidents. The software can also be used for personnel accountability on large structure fires and GPS to track grids that have been searched during search and rescue operations.
Boone County, Missouri
Boone County is a county centrally located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the eighth most populous county in Missouri. In 2010, the population was 162,642. Its county seat, Columbia, is the fifth largest city in Missouri and the anchor city of the Columbia Metropolitan Area.-History:Boone...
. The BCFPD is the largest volunteer fire department and third largest fire service organization in the state, protecting 492 square miles (1,378 km²) of residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural property and over 50,000 people.
The Fire District operates with a volunteer staff of approximately 250 personnel who annually give over 117,000 hours of volunteer service to the organization, supported by a career staff of 16 people that provide training, maintenance, public safety education and administrative services to the District. The Fire District is governed by a voter elected five-member board (per state statutes) which oversees operations and appoints the fire chief. The fire chief designates such volunteers and career staff authorized by the Board as being essential to carry out the responsibilities of the Fire District.
The Boone County Fire District is an all hazards emergency response agency for the community and is dispatched by Public Safety Joint Communications, Boone County's 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) based in Columbia, MO. With an annual operating budget of $3.9 million, the Fire District is designated as the statewide hazardous materials team and serves as the base for the central Missouri fire incident management team for large-scale emergency events and the regional coordination point for Region F of the State Fire Mutual Aid System. Additionally, The Fire District operates Missouri Task Force One
Urban Search and Rescue Missouri Task Force 1
is a Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Boone County, Missouri. MO-TF1 is sponsored by the Boone County Fire Protection District and is designated as the Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team for the state of Missouri.-Overview:...
, one of only 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Teams, is a division of the Fire District.
History
Prior to 1964, there was no organized fire protection in Boone County beyond the corporate city limits of the City of Columbia. In 1963, an elderly handicapped woman died in a house fire immediately west of the city limits of Columbia. A small band of CB Radio enthusiasts, which called themselves the Central Missouri Radio Squad, came together and determined that someone must take the initiative to develop a rural fire protection system for Boone County.In 1964, in an abandoned chicken house on Route PP northeast of Columbia, the Central Missouri Radio Squad Volunteer Fire Department was formed. The first fire apparatus was an old milk delivery truck donated by Mr. J. Patrick Barnes. The first fire chief was John Dineen, a safety specialist for Columbia Mutual Insurance Companies. Donations were solicited, volunteers purchased gasoline out of their own pockets and some items were literally stolen during the early phases of development. Initial protection was provided through a membership or “fire tag” system that allowed Boone County residents to purchase fire protection for five dollars per year. In late 1964, sufficient funds were raised to start the construction of what was to become the first “real” fire station in the organization. This station was established on Route PP, approximately ½ mile east of what is presently Highway 63. Additional equipment was acquired through military surplus and additional donations.
In late 1965, Bill Westhoff assumed the position of fire chief. Westhoff was employed by the University of Missouri Fire Training Institute (MUFRTI). It was this early relationship that instilled the organizational commitment to a quality training program that continues today.
In 1970, state laws were adjusted to make the formation of fire protection districts in out-state Missouri easier. The volunteer firefighters of the Central Missouri Radio Squad campaigned actively throughout Boone County in an effort to form what was to become the first out-state fire protection district (outside the St. Louis/Kansas City area). With a voter approval rate of 375 ayes and 229 nays, the Boone County Fire Protection District was formed on July 11, 1970.
The first Board of Directors moved quickly to establish additional fire station locations in Rocheport
Rocheport, Missouri
Rocheport is a city in Boone County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 208 at the 2000 census...
, Hallsville
Hallsville, Missouri
Hallsville is a city in Boone County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 978 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hallsville is located at...
and Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Missouri
Harrisburg is a village in Boone County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 184 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:...
. The facilities were meager, to say the least, and the equipment was very marginal; however, these locations ultimately developed into strong fire protection units and, in addition to the original station on Route PP in Columbia, became the hub of what was to ultimately become the third largest network of fire stations and fire apparatus in Missouri.
Additional fire stations were created in the mid 1970s in the Prathersville
Prathersville, Missouri
Prathersville is a village in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was 111 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Prathersville is located at ....
area at what was then Cottonwoods Airport (now the Boone County Fair Grounds) and in Sturgeon through a cooperative arrangement with the Sturgeon Fire Department. In the late 1970s, additional fire station locations were established in the Rock Bridge and Midway areas.
Steve Paulsell was appointed as the organization’s first full-time fire chief in 1977. Paulsell joined the organization as a volunteer in 1970 and became the District’s first employee in 1972. Paulsell continued to serve as fire chief until December 2008.
In 1977, the Boone County Fire District initiated its Emergency Medical Services First Responder Program. Also in 1977, the Columbia/Boone County Public Safety Joint Communications Center went online, which combined the dispatching functions of all the emergency services in Boone County, Missouri and which continues to operate to this day. This system provides a more economically efficient system and, simultaneously, provides better coordination of all emergency services in Boone County.
In 1978, the Boone County Fire Protection District was instrumental in working with Boone County government to adopt and implement building and fire safety codes in Boone County. Prior to this time, there were no building standards in effect outside the city limits of Columbia and the results of inferior construction were noticeably evident. Today, the benefits of the code enforcement program are, likewise, as evident.
In April 1981, the Boone County Fire Protection District put before the voters its first capital improvements bond issue. This $1.5 million issue was overwhelmingly approved by the voters of the Fire Protection District and provided for the construction of a new fire station in the Prathersville area and in the Rock Bridge area south of Columbia to replace those already in service. In addition, eleven additional pieces of fire apparatus were purchased.
In 1991, another capital improvements bond issue was proposed to the voters and, like the one in 1981, was approved. Additionally, during this same election, an increase in the general revenue fund was authorized by the voters, which allowed the organization to hire additional support personnel and enhance many of the support programs. As a result of the capital improvements project, an additional twelve pieces of fire equipment were purchased, new stations were established on Route E northwest of Columbia, on Route WW east of Columbia and new stations were constructed in Sturgeon and Centralia. Additions were also made to the fire stations in Harrisburg and Rocheport.
Urban Search and Rescue Missouri Task Force 1
is a Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Boone County, Missouri. MO-TF1 is sponsored by the Boone County Fire Protection District and is designated as the Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team for the state of Missouri.-Overview:...
was formed, significantly expanding the rescue capabilities of the organization locally, statewide and nationally. MOTF-1 is designated by FEMA as one of only 28 Federal Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces in the nation. As a federal resource, Missouri Task Force 1 is on call for federal disaster response and, upon activation, must be headed to their destination within six hours with 70 personnel, four search canines and 100,000 lb. of equipment. Missouri Task Force One was deployed to the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 11, 2001, twice to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
during 2005, the Clinton, Missouri
Clinton, Missouri
Clinton is a city in Henry County, Missouri, United States. The city was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. The population was 9,311 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henry County.-Geography:Clinton is located at...
building collapse on June 28, 2006 and most recently Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
on September 11, 2008.
In 1996, following a significant enhancement to the Fire District’s public fire and life safety education program, the Fire District was recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) for its development and implementation of the Fire District’s "Survival Kids" program. This life safety program, taught in all fourth grade classrooms in the Fire District by Boone County volunteer firefighters, was awarded the IAFC’s Fire Service Award of Excellence in 1996. This program has been shared with many other fire departments and, in addition to being taught in countless departments in our country, is also being taught in the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Japan and South Africa.
In 1998, the voters of the Fire District again overwhelmingly authorized a capital improvements project, which purchased 16 pieces of fire apparatus and established new stations locations southwest of Columbia, in the Dripping Springs area north of Columbia and the Deer Park area south of Columbia. Facilities were replaced in Midway, Harrisburg and Hallsville, with additions to existing facilities being constructed at Route WW, Rocheport, Prathersville, and Rock Bridge.
On November 25, 2008, after 38 years of service with the Fire District Stephen Paulsell was asked by the Fire District Board of Directors to accept a severance package and step down as the Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District. The move came after several controversies marred his tenure as fire chief. Deputy Chief Scott Olsen (Operations and Preparedness Bureau) was chosen to serve as interim Fire Chief until a permanent replacement could be found.
In May 2009 the Boone County Fire Protection District and the Columbia Fire Department
Columbia Fire Department
The Columbia Fire Department is the agency that provides fire suppression, emergency medical care, hazardous material and other catastrophic occurrence mitigation, fire investigation, and fire inspection and code enforcement to Columbia, Missouri...
updated the territorial agreement which both agencies have operated under for the past 15 years. The previous agreement tasked the Fire District with emergency response to all areas annexed by the City of Columbia that the city was unable to provide service to and provided for annual compensation based on call volume. In 2008 the Fire District responded to over 400 calls within the City limits, totaling $672,000 in compensation. Under the revised agreement, areas that have been annexed by the City of Columbia will receive responses from both City and Fire District units, with overall command of the incident depending on who has jurisdiction. Compensation for the fire district has been set at $350,000 annually, with the amount to increase if more areas are annexed in the future. Both agencies have also entered into an increased level of cooperative training, with joint sessions occurring at both the Columbia Fire Training Academy and the Fire District Training Center.
On October 21, 2009, Interim Fire Chief Scott Olsen was selected by the Boone County Fire Protection District Board of Directors to become the new Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District. Chief Olsen previously acted as the interim chief for eleven months before being chosen in a nationwide search.
Fire apparatus and stations
The Boone County Fire Protection District operates in excess of 110 emergency vehicles, and, as such ranks third in Missouri in fleet size behind St. Louis and Kansas City.Engines
The Fire District operates fourteen front-line engines (the fire district does not have a station 11), all of which comply with National Fire Protection Association standards for structural firefighting apparatus. All engine companies are equipped with fire pumps that are rated at 1,250 GPM or above and carry 750 gallons of water. On-board Class A foam capability is standard on most engines. All engine companies carry a full complement of BLS emergency medical equipment, Q-Rae four-gas meters and thermal imaging cameras as well.Tankers
The Fire District operates eight 2001 Pierce tankers. These units carry 1,500 gallons of water and are set up to handle salvage and overhaul operations as well as supply water during structure fires.Heavy Rescue Squads
The Boone County Fire Protection District operates two heavy rescue squads. One is located at Station 1 in the Columbia area near Lake of the Woods and the other is located at Station 6 in Sturgeon. These units carry a full complement of heavy rescue equipment and meet the NFPA requirements for heavy rescue squads. They are equipped to provide automobile extrication, high angle rescue, trench rescue, ice rescue, swift water rescue, cave rescue, and confined space rescue.Brush Trucks
Each brush truck is designed and operated with two primary missions in mind. The first is for wildland fire response. As such they carry 300 gallons of water with Class A foam capability and a wide assortment of fireline tools. Their second use is as primary medical response unit for the stations that have them. Basic life support equipment carried includes: medical bag and AED, KED, OB kit, spinal immobilization kit and long spine board/Stokes basket. Eight of these units are deployed around the county.Specialty Units
- Rescue Boats - The Fire District operates five boats of various sizes and configurations for rescue and recovery operations on the Missouri River, small streams and static bodies of water throughout Boone County.
- Air Truck
- Command 1
- Command 2
- Hazardous Materials Squad (Hazmat 514)
Fire stations
The Boone County Fire District maintains 14 fire stations, a training center, and a headquarters facility. All Fire District stations are constructed in a modular fashion so as to facilitate additions in future years and minimizing expenses. All Boone County Fire District stations are also equipped with living quarters where volunteer firefighters actually reside. Many volunteer firefighters are students who, in exchange for their services as fire apparatus operators, live in the fire stations at no charge. This facilitates a rapid response of equipment without the expense of paying full time people to staff the facilities.The training center, located at Prathersville and Highway 63, consists of a four story burn tower with pitched roof ventilation prop, a vehicle extrication area, and the Missouri Task Force One rubble pile.
| Station | Engine | Tanker | Bruch Truck | Rescue Squad | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station 1 - Lake of the Woods and I-70 | E-101 | T-105 | G-106 | S-104 | Boat 107 | |
| Station 2 - Rocheport | E-201 | Boat 207 Utility 210 |
||||
Station 3 - Hallsville |
E-301 | T-305 | G-306 | Boat 307 Reserve T-309 |
||
Station 4 - Harrisburg |
E-401 | T-405 | G-406 | Reserve T-409 | ||
| Station 5 - Prathersville and Highway 63 | E-501 | T-505 | G-506 | Hazmat 514 | MCI unit Reserve T-509 |
|
Station 6 - Sturgeon |
E-601 | T-605 | G-606 | S-604 | ||
| Station 7 - Dripping Springs and Highway 63 | E-701 | Reserve T-709 | ||||
| Station 8 - Rock Bridge | E-801 | T-805 | G-806 | Boat 807 1954 White parade engine |
||
Station 9 - Midway and I-70 |
E-901 | T-905 | G-906 | Reserve E-908 Reserve T-909 |
||
| Station 10 - Centralia | E-1001 | T-1005 | G-1006 | |||
Station 12 - Route WW |
E-1201 | |||||
| Station 13 - Route E | E-1301 | |||||
| Station 14 - Vawter School Road and Scott Blvd | E-1401 | Reserve E-1408 | ||||
Station 15 - Deer Park and Highway 63 |
E-1501 | T-1505 | Command 2 1958 Chevy parade engine Air 15 USAR 2215 USAR 2216 USAR 2217 |
|||
District Headquarters - 2201 I-70 Drive Northwest |
Command 1 Decon trailer Wildland trailer |
|||||
Training Complex - 5225 Roger I. Wilson Memorial Drive |
Innovation
Additionally, the Fire District is known nationally for its many innovations. Among these are its volunteer firefighter recruitment, retention and residency program; Missouri state certified contextually formatted training; and public safety education, which received the 1996 International Association of Fire Chiefs Championship Award for Excellence for its Survival Kids Program.Several Fire District personnel are actively involved in far reaching national and international emergency service programs, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Fire Service Training Association. Currently, three members serve on FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Response System Incident Support Team and six members serve on Missouri's Statewide Fire Mutual Aid Incident Support Team (Region F IST).
In November 2009 the Fire District purchased new software that will increase preparedness for large-scale incidents. The E-Sponder software will use mass notification tools such as cell phones, email, pagers, and global social media forms like Facebook to alert personnel about ongoing incidents. The software can also be used for personnel accountability on large structure fires and GPS to track grids that have been searched during search and rescue operations.
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Task Force
Missouri Task Force One, whose members are from fire departments all over the state, continues to be a valuable resource and deploys every year nationwide whenever called upon. Recent deployments include:Federal Deployments
- September 2001 New York City, NY – World Trade Center
- February 2003 Texas – Space Shuttle Columbia Recovery
- August 2003 Virginia - Hurricane Isabel
- July 2005 Mississippi - Hurricane Dennis
- August 2005 New Orleans, LA – Hurricane Katrina
- September 2005 New Orleans, LA – Hurricane Katrina
- August 2006 Atlanta, GA - Hurricane Ernesto
- August 2007 Texas – Hurricane Dean
- July 2008 Texas - Hurricane Dolly
- August 2008 Minneapolis, MN – NSSE Republican National Convention
- September 2008 Lafayette, LA – Hurricane Ike
State Deployments
- June 2006 – Clinton, MO - Building Collapse
- March 2008 Piedmint, MO Floods (Swiftwater Assets)
- May 2008 – Newton County, MO - Tornado
- December 2010 - Fort Leonard Wood, MO - Tornado
- May 2011 - Joplin, MO - Tornado
External links
- Boone County Fire Protection District
- Boone County Fire Protection District Pipes and Drums
- Public Safety Joint Communications for Boone County, Mo
- Columbia Fire Department
- City of Columbia/Boone County Fire District Fire Service Agreement Map
- Centralia Fire Department
- FEMA
- University of Missouri Health Care
- Boone Hospital Center