Fire Marshal & Fire Divisions

 

The Columbia Fire Department provides a wide array of services for the citizens of our community.  Each link below will provide detailed information on our services. 

Fire Marshal's Division

Welcome to the Columbia Fire Department and the Fire Marshal’s Division. The Fire Marshal’s Division is charged with conducting fire investigations, fire code enforcement, fire inspections, plan reviews, public fire and life safety education, and public information.

The Fire Marshal’s Division is overseen by Battalion Chief and Fire Marshal Michael Bauer and is staffed by six full-time personnel.  Steve Riggs, Shawn McGruder, Christopher Gilstrap, Jason Thomas and Colin Wright all serve as Assistant Fire Marshals.

Fire Marshal Bauer is responsible for conducting Plan Reviews on new or remodeled buildings to ensure public safety, fire and building code compliance. Darla Atkins serves as the division’s administrative support officer.

The Fire Marshal’s Division is located in the Fire Administration Building at 201 Orr Street. You may contact us by calling 573.874.7391opens phone dialer or by e-mail at James.Pasley@CoMo.gov. The  Fire Marshal’s Division is responsible for the following assignments:

  • Fire Investigations
  • Fire Inspections
  • Code Enforcement
  • Plan Reviews
  • Permits
  • Public Education
  • Public Information
  • Campus Fire Safety

Emergency Services Division

The Emergency Services Division is commanded by Assistant Fire Chief Jerry Jenkins. This division is responsible for providing highly trained, well equipped professionals, responding effectively to meet the needs of our customers. The department responds to all Fire, Hazardous Materials, and Technical Rescue incidents as well as providing EMS response to incidents located within the city limits. Members of the Columbia Fire Department respond to over 16,000 emergency calls for help each year.

Staff & Fire Stations

Emergency Services composed of 150 full-time personnel organized into 3 shifts. Each shift is supervised by a Division Chief and a Battalion Chief who are responsible for emergency and administrative functions for that particular shift. Each Division Chief subsequently reports directly to the Emergency Services Assistant Fire Chief.  All uniformed personnel are licensed as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) to the Basic or Paramedic level by the Missouri Bureau of EMS. Emergency Services personnel work an alternating schedule of 48-hours on duty followed by 96-hours off duty.

The Columbia Fire Department currently operates 10 fire stations located strategically throughout the city. We staff seven Quints, two Engines, and two Ladder companies. By having an internal 500 gallon water tank, a fire pump and hose, as well as a complement of ground ladders and a 75-foot truck-mounted aerial device, Quints serve the dual roles of both Engines and Ladders. Our Quint and Engine companies are intended to provide water for fire suppression, stretch fire hose and control/extinguish the fire. Quints are located at all fire stations except Stations 1 and 2, where we have Engine companies instead.  The Ladder companies provide ventilation, forcible entry and search/rescue operations and are located at Fire stations 1 and 2.

The Columbia Fire Department also staffs one Heavy Rescue Squad located at Fire Station 3. It carries a variety of specialized equipment. Some of this equipment includes: vehicle extrication, high angle rescue, trench rescue, confined space rescue and water rescue equipment, along with firefighter breathing air resupply.  This vehicle also has a large capacity onboard electric generator which powers large scene lights to allow for safer night operations and provides power for the use of electrical rescue equipment.

Special Operations Response Teams

Many Columbia Fire Department personnel have received advanced training which has equipped them to respond to unusual or technically challenging incidents which are outside of normal fire or emergency medical responses that pose a high degree of risk to both citizens and responders alike.

These personnel comprise our Special Operations Response Teams (SORT).  SORT activities include hazardous materials response, technical rescue and hazardous device response. Each of these specialized teams is staffed by members of the fire department who provide these enhanced services to the citizens of Columbia in addition to their normal assignments.  Responses to floods, hazardous chemical incidents, building collapse, trench rescue and incidents of weapons of mass destruction are all addressed by our highly trained personnel. In addition, these same firefighters support the operations of other departments within the City of Columbia as necessary.

The Columbia Fire department maintains a variety of specialty equipment and apparatus that can be used to augment typical operations. Special Operations response staff participate regularly in additional training in order to maintain proficiency in their respective areas of expertise. This desire to maintain proficiency and to offer enhanced services to our citizen customers establishes the Columbia Fire Department as a leader within the community and the state.

Hazardous Devices Response Unit

Today, the Columbia Fire Department, the Columbia Police Department, the University of Missouri Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department collaboratively operate a state-of-the-art Hazardous Devices Unit. This highly specialized unit is charged with response to and mitigation of incidents involving potential explosives, weapons of mass destruction and any other incident capable of regional, statewide or national response.  This team trains year round and offers enhanced training and techniques to other members of the Columbia Fire Department.

Fire Training and Services Division

The Columbia Fire Department Training Division is responsible for the broad spectrum of training and educational activities that the department conducts or sponsors. The fire department maintains a strong commitment to providing quality educational opportunities for all personnel.

Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Heidenreich commands the Training Division. Chief Training Officer James Pasley oversees day to day operations of our Training Academy.  Fire Trainers Michael Arnhart, Anthony Bannister and David Peters along with Safety and Training Captains Jeff Coffman, Joey Simmons and Ryan Adams all work together to develop curriculum and deliver timely training to department members no matter their assignments.  The Safety and Training Captains also are charged with coordinating training for members assigned to their respective shifts in the Emergency Services Division and also function as on-scene Incident Safety Officers for large and/or technically challenging responses.  

The Columbia Fire Department provides a wide range of services which makes the necessity for an aggressive training program even more important. In addition to fire suppression, fire prevention, and EMS services, the department has special operations teams for hazardous materials and specialized rescue incidents. Special operations team members receive intensive training in these highly technical areas on an on-going basis.

Training sessions

The Training Division conducts daily, weekly and monthly training sessions at our Fire Training Academy, located at 700 Big Bear Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65202. In addition to basic firefighter training, the Training Division conducts courses for apparatus operator, hazardous materials, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Emergency Medical Technician – Basic (EMT-B), company officer development courses and the division also manages our hiring and promotional testing processes.

Training facilities

Training facilities include a classroom and administration building, five-story drill tower, paved drill field, drafting pit, a confined space prop and a two-story structural live fire training building.

Recruit Fire Training Program

The Training Division also manages our basic recruit firefighter training program, which consists of an eighteen-week, 720-hour program that provides basic firefighting, rescue, hazardous materials and medical response skills to newly hired firefighters. Our program is considered a regional asset and we regularly host personnel from neighboring fire departments to provide basic training to their new employees.  This joint training effort has afforded all communities involved a means of providing cost-effective training for new firefighters.

Specialized Courses

Specialized courses are identified and personnel are often sent to outside educational opportunities where they can bring new knowledge and information to the remainder of the department. Examples of these outside programs are the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference, National Fire Academy, International Association of Fire Chief’s conferences, University of Missouri Fire & Rescue Training Institute, Chemical Leaman Trucking, ROCO Rescue Corp., American Association of Railroads Transportation Test Center, Texas A & M, National Foam Corp., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Aviation and others.

Emergency training

The Training Division maintains a very active role in supporting the needs of the members of the Columbia Fire Department and the community. We offer emergency training to local businesses and work with other governmental and private agencies in coordinating emergency response training for the community.