top of page
OzarkFire238.jpg

Serving Ozark and Christian County, MO since 1905

Meet the Team

Meet the Ozark FPD Firefighters and Divisions

The Ozark Fire Protection District lives by the organization’s mission statement.

Our expert team of dedicated firefighters and first responders strive for excellence in every area of service we provide to our community.

The district operates with three fully staffed stations strategically placed throughout the community.  Crews enjoy a 48/96-hour work schedule consisting of A-B-C shifts.  The district employs 41 personnel consisting of administrative and line staff.

Our administrative staff consists of the Fire Chief, Assistant Chief of Prevention, Assistant Chief of Training, and an Administrative Coordinator. 

Our line staff consists of 3 Battalion Chiefs, 9 Captains, 9 Engineers, and 16 Firefighters.  

We are a strong team with the duty to aggressively serve our community with integrity and excellence. 

Filter by Position

Filter by Shift

Team Member

Jarett Metheny

Fire Chief

May 1, 2020

Team Member

Caleb Thompson

Battalion Chief

Aug 20, 2011

Team Member

Dave Hubbard

Captain

Jul 13, 2020

Team Member

Justin Cagney

Captain

Jul 13, 2020

Team Member

Cory Fasone

Engineer

Oct 19, 2020

Team Member

Eleazar Soto

Firefighter

Jan 28, 2008

Team Member

Jacob Morelan

Firefighter

Jun 27, 2023

Team Member

Jarett Crain

Firefighter

Oct 30, 2023

Team Member

Tre Shearer

Firefighter

Sep 16, 2024

Team Member

Melinda York

Admin. Coordinator

Dec 1, 2008

Team Member

Brian Athen

Battalion Chief

Jun 21, 2023

Team Member

Kyle Heminger

Captain

May 1, 2019

Team Member

Matt Gallina

Engineer

Jan 2, 2008

Team Member

Mitch Beary

Engineer

Feb 22, 2022

Team Member

Kendra Anthony

Firefighter

Feb 22, 2022

Team Member

Matthew Dilday

Firefighter

Jul 24, 2023

Team Member

David Masterson

Firefighter

Oct 30, 2023

Team Member

Aaron Heaton

Assistant Chief

Dec 16, 2007

Team Member

Sean Ware

Captain

Dec 31, 2006

Team Member

Paul Winking

Captain

May 1, 2019

Team Member

Eric Eberhart

Engineer

Mar 2, 2012

Team Member

Dustin Cutbirth

Engineer

Feb 22, 2022

Team Member

Matthew Garrison

Firefighter

Feb 22, 2022

Team Member

Jesse Gearhart

Firefighter

Jul 24, 2023

Team Member

Ross Caywood

Firefighter

Jul 8, 2024

Team Member

Jeff Owens

Assistant Chief

Oct 7, 2019

Team Member

Brad Arnott

Captain

Oct 7, 2013

Team Member

Derek Compton

Captain

Sep 10, 2017

Team Member

Ryan Bernhardt

Engineer

Mar 3, 2014

Team Member

Jake Stokes

Engineer

Feb 22, 2022

Team Member

Jared Stover

Firefighter

Aug 23, 2022

Team Member

Ryan Rush

Firefighter

Jul 24, 2023

Team Member

Lucas White

Firefighter

Jul 8, 2024

Team Member

Rob Crawford

Battalion Chief

Jan 3, 2019

Team Member

Burt Roberts

Captain

May 1, 2019

Team Member

Aaron Lay

Captain

Apr 22, 2009

Team Member

Austin Essick

Engineer

Jun 17, 2019

Team Member

Jacob Reynolds

Engineer

Feb 22, 2022

Team Member

Austin White

Firefighter

Feb 28, 2023

Team Member

Braden Loehr

Firefighter

Jul 24, 2023

Team Member

Wyatt Fritz

Firefighter

Jul 8, 2024

Our Fire District Team Division

The Ozark Fire District consists of four divisions working in unison to create a seamless system of service delivery.  

Ozark Fire Protection District Emblem
Administrative Division at the Fire Station

Administrative Division

The Administrative division oversees business functions related to district services. This division includes budgetary oversight, Policy & Procedural Compliance, and Human resources.  

Operations Division

The Operations division oversees the deployment of district resources to directly provide service delivery to the public. This division includes oversight of apparatus, equipment, facilities, and supervises special operations essential to fire service job functions. 

Firefighters Working
Training

Training Division

The Training division is a support element of operations providing high-intensity advancement training to comply with federal, state, and local regulations. This division oversees fire investigations, community outreach, and serves as the district’s information officer.  

Prevention Division

The prevention division oversees the community risk reduction planning through prevention and inspections. This division assists with plan review, code enforcement,  permitting special events, public education, and pre-planning. 

Firefighters providing public education to school
Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The district is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, each holding a six-year term.  Annually, the district conducts an in-depth planning process to ensure we meet stakeholders' expectations. 

This planning translates to an open and transparent money management plan and enables the development and continued oversight of the district’s progressive fifteen-year strategic plan and a 10-year capital improvement plan.

logo-1.png

Jim Price

Director of the Board

2024

Vice President of the Board Matt Growcock

Matt Growcock

Treasurer of the Board

2020

Treasurer of the Board Will Reynolds

Will Reynolds

President of the Board

2017

Director of the Board Angie Johns

Angie Johns

Director of the Board

2019

Director of the Board Donovan Dobbs

Donovan Dobbs

Vice-President of the Board

2020

Fire Station Information
Fire Station 1

District HQ

Fire Station 1

604 North 3rd Street

Ozark, MO 65721

M-F:  7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Fire Station 2

Fire Station 2

6052 North 25th Street

Ozark, MO 65721

M-F  7:30 am – 4:00 pm

firestation-2(1) (1).jpg

4545 South Highway W

Ozark, MO 65721

M-F  7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Fire Station 3

Vintage Ozark Fire Truck
Image by Andrew Childress

Ozark Fire Protection District History and Timeline

The Ozark Fire Protection District serves 110 square miles of Christian County Missouri.  We provide emergency services to the cities of Ozark, Fremont Hills, and surrounding unincorporated portions of Christian County.  We also provide mutual aid for the communities of Nixa, Sparta, Highlandville, Chadwick, Rogersville, Battlefield, and Springfield.

Ozark Fire Protection District History and Timeline

1904

The south side of the historic square burned. There was one home and three stores that were lost in the fire. At the time, there was no fire protection in Ozark.

1906

The east side of the historic square burned. The newspaper (Tribune) was in one of the buildings and some homes. These were some of the oldest buildings on the square, dating back to the 1880s.

1917

The north side of the square burned. The Taylor Hotel, Williams Café, and Dad Reece’s Bakery burned.

1962

Bill McNabb is the Fire Chief (1962-2000).

1967

Ozark Fire purchased a new fire truck with a 750-gallon pump.

1984

A tax levy is 30 cents.

2000

Jake Archer is named the Fire Chief.

2005

January – Ozark Fire Protection District begins the first day of service.
 

February – We hired full-time, around-the-clock firefighters–2 per shift.

2007

April – Tax Levy to 38 cents from 30 cents (allowed for an increase of staffing to 6 firefighters per shift).

2010

January – Station #3 opens with a residency program.

June – Darren White is named full-time Fire Chief (2010-2019).

2012

Proposition A, a tax levy increase, failed.

2014

February – First Battalion Chief (Shift Commander) hired.
 

March – Six additional firefighters are hired because of the tax increase.
 

April – Station 3 opens 24/7/365 with career staff.

2017

April – Station 1 floods from rising waters of the Finley River.

April – Old Station #2 closes due to mold being found and the building being declared uninhabitable.

 June – Inaugural Citizens Fire Academy class graduates 13 students.

2019

Susie Ballard and Angie Johns are elected to the Board of Director positions.

Fire Chief Darren White retires.

Assistant (later reclassified to Deputy Chief) Rob Crawford is the interim Chief.

 

Longtime member and President of the Board of Directors Jay Johnson resigns.

2021

January – Station #3 closes after the mold is discovered in the building and is declared uninhabitable.


April - Proposition fire passed by nearly 2/3 in favor

Firefighter servicing the fire truck
Vintage Ozark Fire Truck

1905

Ozark built the first fire department house in the city. The first fire wagon was a big two-wheel cart, and the fire hose was wound between the two big wheels. The volunteer firefighters would pull the cart by hand if a horse were unavailable. There was a big bell on a post at the firehouse. The first man there rang the bell to sound the alarm.

That bell is at Fire Station 1, was made by C.S. Bell & Co., and is over 100 years old, manufactured between 1882 and 1894. 

Ale Miller is the first Fire Chief (1905-1916).

Ozark, MO First Firehouse Bell

1910

The west side of the square burned, including Bingham Hardware, J.M. Pullen’s Photography Gallery, and J.K. Wallace’s Sheet Metal Establishment.

Aftermath of the fire on the square at Ozark in 1910. The Ozark Mill burns at night in 1939.

1927

Ozark Fire bought its first new fire truck.

1966

$20,000 bond passed for capital purchases.

1983

Station 1 is built.

1990

Stations #2 and #3 construction was completed for the Ozark Rural Fire Protection District, a separate agency with the same leadership as the City Fire Department.

 

A bond was passed for capital purchases.

2004

February – Full-time firefighters are hired for the first time in the 100-year history of the agency.  We were able to hire two firefighters per shift 8-hour shift. Two firefighters were employees for the City of Ozark, and two were for the Ozark Rural FPD. The nights and weekend shifts were for volunteers only.
 

August – Merger of the municipal Ozark Fire Department and the Ozark Rural Fire District to the Ozark Fire Protection District. Jake Archer is the Fire Chief.

2006

August – Station 1 expanded to present-day size. Gordon Dippel is the Fire Chief.

2008

February – Old Station #2 opened (CC @ North 22nd Street) 2 firefighters were assigned per shift to this location.

 

February – Darren White is named interim Chief.

March – Living Quarters at Station 1 are flooded by waters from the Finley River.

2011

March – OFPD delivers twin fire engines (2011 Ferrara Fire Engines).

2013

ISO audit grades OFPD at a four inside the city limits and a nine outside the city limits.

April – Tax levy increase approved to 63 cents.

2015

July – Station 1 floods from rising waters of the Finley River.

2018

August – The District hires the first Fire Marshal, Don Gregory.

2020

March – peers elected Susie Ballard to President of the Board of Directors, and Will Reynolds was selected as Treasurer.

 

May – Jarett Metheny is hired as Fire Chief.

 

June – Matt Growcock was selected to fill the remaining time of former director Johnson’s seat.

 

July – Reclassification of Administrative Chiefs; Rob Crawford to Deputy Chief, Don Gregory to Assistant Chief.

 

September – Fire Station #2 is opened and located at 6052 North 25th St., covering the north side of the district.

 

November – Ten-year strategic plan is presented to the Board of Directors.

PRESENT

OFPD History & Timeline

The Ozark Fire Protection District Map and Fire Station Locations

FireStation206_edited.jpg

In Case of an Emergency, Dial 911!

For questions, support, or additional information, please contact us via phone or by filling out the contact form below.

Thanks for submitting!

Our Stations

Crews are available 24/7 for emergency response!

Connect With Us:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Fire Station 1

604 N. 3rd Street.

Ozark, MO 65721

M-F: 7:30 am - 4 pm

Fire Station 2

6052 N. 25th Street.

Ozark, MO 65721

Fire Station 3

4545 S. Highway W

Ozark, MO 65721

bottom of page