Ottumwa Fire Department

A message from Ottumwa Fire Chief Tony Miller, 
The City of Ottumwa's ISO rating has been improved from a five to a four, effective December 1st,2011. The Insurance Service Office (ISO) evaluates fire departments across the country for the effectiveness of their fire protection services and equipment to protect their community.   

This is good very news. The improvement from a five to a four gives Ottumwa one of the highest ratings for fire protection in Iowa.  Ottumwa's ISO rating is now in the top 2 percent of communities in the state and in the top 10 percent nationally. Only 64 out of 2432 Iowa communities have a rating better than five. This upgrade should have a beneficial effect on insurance rates.  

I am proud of the hard work and dedication of our firefighters, and the support from our community needed to achieve this. 

Sincerely,                

     Chief Tony Miller    

 The Ottumwa Fire Department provides fire suppression to the residents 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.  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 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.  

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, everything we need to work with and 7-10 professional firefighters. We can get about 33 firefighters there in a matter of minutes if needed!
Plus, we bring our own water with us!      

Learn about Outdoor Burning in Ottumwa