Boone County Fire Protection District - History

History

Prior to 1964, there was no organized fire protection in Boone County beyond the corporate city limits of the City of Columbia. In 1963, an elderly handicapped woman died in a house fire immediately west of the city limits of Columbia. A small band of CB Radio enthusiasts, who called themselves the Central Missouri Radio Squad, came together and determined that someone must take the initiative to develop a rural fire protection system for Boone County.

In 1964, in an abandoned chicken house on Route PP northeast of Columbia, the Central Missouri Radio Squad Volunteer Fire Department was formed. The first fire apparatus was an old milk delivery truck donated by Mr. J. Patrick Barnes. The first fire chief was John Dineen, a safety specialist for Columbia Mutual Insurance Companies. Donations were solicited, volunteers purchased gasoline out of their own pockets and some items were literally stolen during the early phases of development. Initial protection was provided through a membership or “fire tag” system that allowed Boone County residents to purchase fire protection for five dollars per year. In late 1964, sufficient funds were raised to start the construction of what was to become the first “real” fire station in the organization. This station was established on Route PP, approximately ½ mile east of what is presently Highway 63. Additional equipment was acquired through military surplus and additional donations.

In late 1965, Bill Westhoff assumed the position of fire chief. Westhoff was employed by the University of Missouri Fire Training Institute (MUFRTI). It was this early relationship that instilled the organizational commitment to a quality training program that continues today.

In 1970, state laws were adjusted to make the formation of fire protection districts in out-state Missouri easier. The volunteer firefighters of the Central Missouri Radio Squad campaigned actively throughout Boone County in an effort to form what was to become the first out-state fire protection district (outside the St. Louis/Kansas City area). With a voter approval rate of 375 ayes and 229 nays, the Boone County Fire Protection District was formed on July 11, 1970.

The first Board of Directors moved quickly to establish additional fire station locations in Rocheport, Hallsville and Harrisburg. The facilities were meager, to say the least, and the equipment was very marginal; however, these locations ultimately developed into strong fire protection units and, in addition to the original station on Route PP in Columbia, became the hub of what was to ultimately become the third largest network of fire stations and fire apparatus in Missouri.

Additional fire stations were created in the mid 1970s in the Prathersville area at what was then Cottonwoods Airport (now the Boone County Fair Grounds) and in Sturgeon through a cooperative arrangement with the Sturgeon Fire Department. In the late 1970s, additional fire station locations were established in the Rock Bridge and Midway areas.

Steve Paulsell was appointed as the organization’s first full-time fire chief in 1977. Paulsell joined the organization as a volunteer in 1970 and became the District’s first employee in 1972. Paulsell continued to serve as fire chief until December 2008.

In 1977, the Boone County Fire District initiated its Emergency Medical Services First Responder Program. Also in 1977, the Columbia/Boone County Public Safety Joint Communications Center went online, which combined the dispatching functions of all the emergency services in Boone County, Missouri and which continues to operate to this day. This system provides a more economically efficient system and, simultaneously, provides better coordination of all emergency services in Boone County.

In 1978, the Boone County Fire Protection District was instrumental in working with Boone County government to adopt and implement building and fire safety codes in Boone County. Prior to this time, there were no building standards in effect outside the city limits of Columbia and the results of inferior construction were noticeably evident. Today, the benefits of the code enforcement program are, likewise, as evident.

In April 1981, the Boone County Fire Protection District put before the voters its first capital improvements bond issue. This $1.5 million issue was overwhelmingly approved by the voters of the Fire Protection District and provided for the construction of a new fire station in the Prathersville area and in the Rock Bridge area south of Columbia to replace those already in service. In addition, eleven additional pieces of fire apparatus were purchased.

In 1991, another capital improvements bond issue was proposed to the voters and, like the one in 1981, was approved. Additionally, during this same election, an increase in the general revenue fund was authorized by the voters, which allowed the organization to hire additional support personnel and enhance many of the support programs. As a result of the capital improvements project, an additional twelve pieces of fire equipment were purchased, new stations were established on Route E northwest of Columbia, on Route WW east of Columbia and new stations were constructed in Sturgeon and Centralia. Additions were also made to the fire stations in Harrisburg and Rocheport.

In 1997, the Boone County Fire Protection District was designated a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. and Missouri Task Force One was formed, significantly expanding the rescue capabilities of the organization locally, statewide and nationally. MOTF-1 is designated by FEMA as one of only 28 Federal Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces in the nation. As a federal resource, Missouri Task Force 1 is on call for federal disaster response and, upon activation, must be headed to their destination within six hours with 70 personnel, four search canines and 100,000 lb. of equipment. Missouri Task Force One was deployed to the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, twice to Hurricane Katrina during 2005, the Clinton, Missouri building collapse on June 28, 2006 and most recently Hurricane Ike on September 11, 2008.

In 1996, following a significant enhancement to the Fire District’s public fire and life safety education program, the Fire District was recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) for its development and implementation of the Fire District’s "Survival Kids" program. This life safety program, taught in all fourth grade classrooms in the Fire District by Boone County volunteer firefighters, was awarded the IAFC’s Fire Service Award of Excellence in 1996. This program has been shared with many other fire departments and, in addition to being taught in countless departments in our country, is also being taught in the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Japan and South Africa.

In 1998, the voters of the Fire District again overwhelmingly authorized a capital improvements project, which purchased 16 pieces of fire apparatus and established new stations locations southwest of Columbia, in the Dripping Springs area north of Columbia and the Deer Park area south of Columbia. Facilities were replaced in Midway, Harrisburg and Hallsville, with additions to existing facilities being constructed at Route WW, Rocheport, Prathersville, and Rock Bridge.

On November 25, 2008, after 38 years of service with the Fire District Stephen Paulsell was asked by the Fire District Board of Directors to accept a severance package and step down as the Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District. The move came after several controversies marred his tenure as fire chief. Deputy Chief Scott Olsen (Operations and Preparedness Bureau) was chosen to serve as interim Fire Chief until a permanent replacement could be found.

In May 2009 the Boone County Fire Protection District and the Columbia Fire Department updated the territorial agreement which both agencies have operated under for the past 15 years. The previous agreement tasked the Fire District with emergency response to all areas annexed by the City of Columbia that the city was unable to provide service to and provided for annual compensation based on call volume. In 2008 the Fire District responded to over 400 calls within the City limits, totaling $672,000 in compensation. Under the revised agreement, areas that have been annexed by the City of Columbia will receive responses from both City and Fire District units, with overall command of the incident depending on who has jurisdiction. Compensation for the fire district has been set at $350,000 annually, with the amount to increase if more areas are annexed in the future. Both agencies have also entered into an increased level of cooperative training, with joint sessions occurring at both the Columbia Fire Training Academy and the Fire District Training Center.

On October 21, 2009, Interim Fire Chief Scott Olsen was selected by the Boone County Fire Protection District Board of Directors to become the new Fire Chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District. Chief Olsen previously acted as the interim chief for eleven months before being chosen in a nationwide search.