Department Description 

After nearly 40 years of various volunteer organizations serving its residents, the City of Marshalltown organized a a full-time career fire department in 1902.  Marshalltown has a population of just over 26,000 citizens and is home to the Marshall County Courthouse, the Iowa Veterans Home, Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center with 200 beds, as well as numerous other small town businesses and nationally recognized industry. The department has signed 28E agreements with the other 12 volunteer departments in Marshall County and can, but seldom has, the need to call them for assistance.

The fire department is comprised of 28 commissioned personnel and one civilian administrative assistant. The organization’s structure consists of administrative personnel including: 

The Fire Chief who is in charge of the department; 

 

One Deputy Chief in charge of operations and training;

One Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal in charge of investigations, public education, inspections and code enforcement;

One Lieutenant Inspector/Floater assisting the Fire Marshal with inspections, investigations and code enforcement.  And also works as needed on the suppression side covering for firefighters who are injured or had surgery. 

Our shift personnel consist of:

Three Captains who serve as shift commanders and ride on an engine company, one on each shift;

Three Lieutenants who serve as second in command, one on each shift and also serve as Acting Captain in the absence of the Captain;

 

And 18 Firefighter/EMTs.

Fire crews are divided into three shifts of eight personnel who work a 24 on/48 off schedule beginning daily at 7:00A.M; the department has a daily staffing minimum of six shift personnel on duty.  We responded to 2,170 calls in the year 2010, and EMS calls amounted to 1,690 of the total, or 78%.

The fire department resides at one central station built in 1955 and has a 3 year old training facility located on the community college campus with classrooms and restrooms available.  The department has been gifted land on the south side of town for the purpose of establishing a second fire station but after more than 35 years of pleading the case and conducting studies for the need, it is still not close to a reality.

The fire department’s work environment is paramilitary oriented.  General working conditions are cordial and cooperative.  Private conversations between ranks are often on a first name basis.  Public events and emergency operations are conducted with salutations by rank.  Meetings are generally conducted professionally, and are often informal. 

The department has a history of cooperative labor-management relations.  We do not want our members to think of this as a job, instead, we want our members to think of our department as something they are proud to be a part of, and for it to be a part of who they are. 

Our services include but are not limited to: fire suppression; EMS first responders (EMT-B) within the city limits; Technical Rescue (i.e. rope, trench, confined space, water and ice rescue); fire prevention; public education; and fire code inspections. All sworn personnel are certified in NIMS and Incident Command, and to Firefighter II, Haz-Mat Operations, and EMT-B or higher.        

Emergency Medical Response – We respond as automatic mutual aid with the hospital staffed ambulance service to all medical calls within the city limits of Marshalltown with 3 personnel a rescue pumper.   

Structure Fires – Marshalltown Fire Department responds with two engines (6 personnel minimum) to reported structure fires.  If the property is high value or commercial we also respond with one aerial apparatus.  In addition, the Marshalltown Area Paramedic Service (MAPS) provides a standby ambulance and serves as the medical division of Incident Command and the Marshalltown Police Department provides traffic control and other services as needed with an automatic dispatch as a “full response.” 

Automatic Fire Alarms – We respond with two engines and sometimes one aerial truck depending on the structure.

Personal Injury Automobile Collisions – We respond to calls for all extrication needs in Marshall County with 3 personnel and a rescue pumper equipped with extrication tools.

Employment Opportunities