Battlefield Fire Protection District

Battlefield Fire Protection District traces back to a volunteer department organized in Battlefield in the late 1950s, funded for decades by ham-and-bean suppers and door-to-door dues before voters formed it into an elected fire protection district in 1985. The District built its first station in 1964 and has since grown to four stations, adding its first full-time firefighters in 2002 and reaching two full-time staffed stations by 2005. A March 2003 tornado destroyed the original Station One, which was rebuilt at a new Battlefield location.

Today the District protects roughly 70,000-80,000 residents across a 32-square-mile area on Springfield's outskirts, including parts of Republic, Ozark, and Nixa, with 43 firefighters (including Chief officers) plus two support staff. Crews are cross-trained in firefighting and basic life support EMS, and the District fields two pumpers, one aerial apparatus, one rescue, three brush trucks, a shift commander SUV, a reserve engine, a water rescue boat, and auxiliary vehicles, responding to more than 3,000 calls a year (about 60% medical).

Beyond suppression and BLS response, the District handles vehicle rescue, environmental protection, and technical rescue, and hosts one of the area's three swift-water rescue teams given its proximity to rivers, lakes, and flood-prone terrain. Its training facility also runs a twice-yearly EMT-Basic program for members and the regional fire service community, and the department is active in community risk reduction and public fire-safety education.

The District's motto is "We Serve." No certifications or prior firefighting experience are required to apply -- the District trains new hires -- but applicants must be motivated team players with strong morals, values, and ethics.