History of the Fire District

In 1963, the 54-37 Fire Association began and purchased their first International
Fire Truck to protect businesses on 54-37, known today as Jeffries Road. This
association was 100% volunteer. As the association grew it eventually
encompassed the city limits of Osage Beach and in 1982 the Osage Beach Fire
Protection District was born. With the birth of the newly created fire district the
boundaries grew even larger to include areas outside of the city of Osage Beach.
Nine short years later Osage Beach Fire Protection District became the first
career fire department in the lake area in
1991. The first 9 firefighters were hired and
would be assigned to 3 different shifts with
3 personnel each. They were tasked with
manning the station 24 hours a day 365
days a year.

At this time they averaged
approximately 400 calls for service per year. Today, our fire district has expanded
even further, extending just past Linn Creek all the way to the Lake of the Ozarks
State Park. We proudly respond from 2 manned fire stations with a minimum of 6
firefighters and a Deputy Chief on duty at all times. We respond to over 2000
calls for service every year and continue to provide the most efficient and
professional service we can

Training

As professional Firefighters, we have the solemn privilege to serve as the guardians of
our community and to be called upon to provide the solution to the circumstances or
emergency someone is experiencing. As a professional Fire Department, we have an
obligation to provide exemplary service to our neighbors. This begins by ensuring all
personnel are properly prepared and trained to the standards of excellence in the
performance of our obligations. To meet these demands for emergency preparedness
and response, our firefighters train for hundreds if not thousands of hours every year. In
2021 our firefighters received 4,134 hours of training across 471 different classes.
These classes include in house training, computer aided classes as well as outside
training conferences that our firefighters were able to attend to continue perfecting their
craft. These training hours also include the required medical training our firefighters who
also serve as Emergency Medical Technicians must receive to renew their license to
practice as an EMT. Training is vital in the fire service and many times this year we have
seen it in action with the response of operational personnel and ability to quickly bring a
scene under control. In 2022, we plan to continue with this high level of training
including bringing in outside instructors, classes, and perspectives to continue keeping
the gears turning in the heads of our firefighters. We take the responsibility of being
prepared for anything very seriously and are always prepared to handle whatever we
are dispatched to.

Apparatus and Equipment Changes

2021 was our first full year with our new Rescue Engines 11 and 12. As sister trucks
they are outfitted exactly the same to ensure uniformity and that if someone works at
the station they are not typically assigned to they are still knowledgeable as to where to
find the needed equipment. Engine 11 and Engine 12 are stationed out of fire stations 1 and 2 and respond to all calls for
service. These apparatus are outfitted with a 700 gallon water tank, 30 Gallon Class A Foam Tank, with a 1500 gallons per minute water pump. The trucks also allow for up to 5 personnel to respond to calls and carries a ladder complement from 8 feet to 24 feet. Other equipment carried include, battery powered auto extrication tools, over 1200 feet of fire hose, medical equipment, which allows us to handle a wide range of emergencies. Engines 13 and 14 were sold to a fire department in Western Pennsylvania and the former
Engines 11 and 12 were redesignated and moved into reserve status.

Other fleet changes that were made happened in our Marine fire division. The
board of directors voted in 2020 to replace the then current Marine 11 and in
2021 a boat was ordered from Lake Assault Boats in Superior Wisconsin. The new Marine 11 which will still be staged at
the Grand Glaize Bridge is expected to arrive later this year. The boat, purchased from Lake Assault Boats is a 31 foot Mono Hull with twin Mercury 300 Horsepower outboard engines. The boat will come equipped with a 5 Kilowatt Generator and 1500 Gallons per minute fire pump. It will also be outfitted with multiple electronics that will be utilized to assist in search and rescue during incidents on the water. Fire boats at the Lake of the Ozarks have proven on multiple occasions a necessity. They allow for fire and EMS personnel to get to patients on the water quickly. They are also utilized to assist in fire
suppression especially on large condo complexes and homes on or near the
water. They in short become floating fire hydrants by pumping large amounts of
water to the fire engines on land where firefighters are making an attack on the
fire. The former Marine 11 has since been sold to a fire department in New York
State where it continues to serve proudly. Osage Beach Fire District also
acquired a second fire boat from the Mid-County Fire Protection District in
Camdenton. The boat spent the winter months being refurbished by Precision
Fire Apparatus and was officially placed in service as Marine 12 in the Summer
of 2021. It currently is housed at the central point of the Grand Glaize Bridge until
Marine 11 arrives where it will then be reevaluated to ensure a fast boat response
on both sides of the fire district.

2021 Calls For Service

In 2021, the Osage Beach Fire Protection District ran a total of 2,151 calls for service. The breakdown is as follows. We had a total of 250 overlapping incidents which means more than one incident was happening at the same time.

Fire – 111

EMS – 1,377

Rescue – 142

Hazmat/Conditions (No Fire) – 37

Service – 104

Good Intent – 262

False Alarm – 118

In the last 5 years this is the second highest number of calls we have ran. With the steady increase of residents and visitors that we have seen over the last few years it is believed that we will continue to see an increase in annual call volume.

2017 – 2,127

2018 – 2,244

2019 – 2.095

2020 – 1,917

2021 – 2,151

The busiest day of the week in 2021 was Saturday with 318 calls for service on this day of the week. Station 2 responded to the most incidents in 2021 with 1,084 of the incidents being worked by them.

Many new changes occurred in 2021 and goals have been set for 2022. As always we as a fire district will continue to provide high quality, efficient professional service to the residents and visitors of our fire district. We look forward to a safe and happy 2022 year.

“Our family, Protecting Your Family, Because We Care”