Ottumwa Fire Department

Firefighters, Brothers and Friends,
Working together
With Compassion, Courage, and Dedication

Welcome to what we think is the "fastest, most complete, service in town"!

You call on us and we will be at your doorstep within 3-5 minutes, with at least 3 trucks and everything we need to work with, plus 7-10 great men! We can get about 33 there in a matter of minutes if needed!

Plus, we bring our own water with us!

A Message from the Chief

Stephen C. O'Connor, Fire Chief

The tragedies that occurred on September 11th clearly demonstrated fire fighters are an important part of this country's domestic defense to emergency situations. As the saying goes "Fire fighters will risk a lot to save your life, will risk a little to save your property, but will risk nothing to save what has already been lost." This typifies this country's professional fire fighters, including Ottumwa's. The Ottumwa Fire Department is dedicated in providing the best possible service to the citizens of Ottumwa while striving to continually improve.

The Ottumwa Fire Department currently provides fire suppression to the City of Ottumwa as well as many other emergency services. Our fire fighters are certified at the Fire Fighter II level. The fire department also provides first response to 911 emergency medical calls (EMS) and responds to vehicle accidents within its city limits. There are currently 19 certified EMT-Basics, 5 First Responders and 1 EMT-Paramedic. The department provides regional hazardous materials response to eleven counties, which is known as the Southeast Iowa Response Group. This was the first regional hazardous materials response group organized in Iowa. The fire department also is active in fire prevention activities. This includes the fire fighters providing fire prevention education to all students in kindergarten, 2nd, and 6th grades.

Training is an intricate part of fire fighting. Continuous training is conducted in the areas of fire suppression, EMS, high-angle rescue, anti-terrorism, confined space, extrication, and hazardous materials.

The City of Ottumwa and the Ottumwa Fire Department will continue to lead the way into the future by continuing to provide a safe environment for all the citizens of our community by being a proactive force for change.