Fire Department

Meet the Fire Chief

On behalf of the Columbia, Missouri Fire Department, I want to thank you for investing your time by visiting our website.  I trust it will provide you with valuable information regarding the wide range of services offered by our agency.  We welcome your interest and encourage you to contact us should you have any questions.

The Columbia Fire Department has been providing professional and dedicated service to our community since 1875.  Our current responsibilities have expanded significantly from the initial mission of fire suppression only to now include an “all-hazard” approach to the efficient delivery of the many types of emergency services our great community expects today.  We embrace the challenges as well as the many opportunities we have as part of a thriving and rapidly growing community and strive to always meet your needs.  The efforts of your Columbia Fire Department, combined with the diligence of our citizens have made Columbia a safe and prosperous community.

I am extremely humbled and honored to work alongside such a talented group of hardworking men and women who strive 24 hours each day to provide a premier quality of life for our community.  Regardless of your needs, our highly-trained personnel stand ready to lend immediate assistance. 

We are honored to provide the citizens, businesses and visitors to the City of Columbia with emergency services and education.  We recognize the tremendous trust you place in us and the responsibility we have to do the right thing each day.

We are an active community partner and have established many mutually beneficial relationships with our local and regional public safety partners.  Our Public Education and Community Risk Reduction programs serve as outreach to other organizations such as homeowner’s groups and other social networks and services.

The Columbia Fire Department continues to search for opportunities to improve our services, promote efficiency and increase community and firefighter safety.  We will continue to increase our commitment to collaboration as an avenue to reimagine our ability to deliver innovative service to our community with an emphasis on employee engagement and customer service.

The Columbia Fire Department is dedicated to preserving our past, protecting our present and leading our future – doing our part to make the City of Columbia the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.

Clayton Farr, Jr.
Fire Chief

 

Fire Station 11 Opens for 24-hour Operations Oct. 23

The Columbia Fire Department is thrilled to announce that new Fire Station 11 opened for 24-hour operations on Monday, October 23, 2023!

“The men and women of the Columbia Fire Department are grateful to our Columbia City Council, former City Manager John Glascock, current City Manager De’Carlon Seewood, along with a host of other City staff for placing public safety at the forefront of their budget priorities.  No mission of local government is more important than public safety,” said Fire Chief Clayton Farr, Jr.

Fire Station 11 will be staffed by a crew of three personnel (a Fire Captain, Fire Engineer and Firefighter) 24 hours per day.  The crew will operate a state-of-the-art quint fire truck from manufacturer Sutphen Corporation, located in Columbus, Ohio.

We are grateful to the many citizens and City staff members who attended our grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 26.  The attendance truly demonstrates the incredible level of support the Columbia Fire Department has within our community.

The new station will have three apparatus bays, a large training room, a physical fitness room, office areas and space dedicated for equipment  repair.  The building will also house a Columbia Police Department substation and features industry-leading safety and sustainability implements, and a sculpture by Kansas City glass artist, Tyler Kimball, as part of the City’s Percent for Art program.

Construction was funded by the 2015 ¼ cent capital improvement sales tax.

Learn about Fire Station 11, located at 6909 Scott Blvd., and view the latest photo of the construction site (updated every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.).