Chief: Don McCarthy
Assistant Chief: Billy Norton
Secretary/Treasure: Mark Spensley
Captain: Joe Oswald
Captain/Safety Officer: Ron Kelchen
Lieutenant: Mike Wink
Training Officer: Drew Haag
Assistant Training Officer: Nick Kahler
We are a volunteer department of 35 firemen and 5 junior fire fighters. Training is very important to our department and we recognize the dedication it takes to earn the following: We currently have 28 members who are Fire Fighter I Certified, 23 members that are Fire Fighter II Certified, 26 members are HazMat Operation Certified, 1 HazMat Operation Tech Certified, 12 members are Driver Operator Certified, and 6 members are Instructor I Certified. Most of our department is CPR certified also. We have a meeting and two nights of training each month.
We have three social events each year and two fund raising events. The social events include a wives supper in February, a smelt fry in April for the retired firemen, and a picnic in July for the families to get together. The fund raising events are our annual 4th of July Breakfast and the Fireman’s Dance in November. The last two years we have headed up an event that raises money to keep a traditional 4th of July Fireworks show going for years to come. The night kicks off with a live band performing at the The Great Jones County Fairgrounds, free gate. Fireworks show that follows. We have an area set up at our station where cans and bottles can be left. Each member takes a week at a time and sorts them. They are then redeem through a local vendor and the money received is also used to support the fireworks show on the 4th of July.
We hosted the Iowa Fire Fighters Convention in 2010 which was a great success for our department. Of our current roster 8 firemen were part of the 1993 convention, 12 were part of the 2002 convention and 19 were part of the 2011 convention. As you can see, longevity is part of our department. Monticello Fire was chosen Fire Department of the year in 2010 to get this award your department is nominated with a letter of recommendation and voted on at the Iowa Fire Fighters Assoc. mid year meeting. Monticello was nominated by the Anamosa Fire Dept.
A quote about our department that reads, “There is an abiding tradition in the Monticello Fire Department—-a tradition of good equipment with good men to operate and maintain it.” We strive to keep that tradition alive. The Monticello Fire Department was established in 1868, 147 years ago.