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Mission Statement
"The desire to serve. The
courage to act. The ability to perform."
The Iuka Fire
Department operates as a combination fire
department. There is currently one fire station with
5 full-time, 5 part-time and 15 volunteer firemen.
The Iuka Fire Department has four main
divisions:
Fire Suppression: Includes
fighting fires and doing public service.
Emergency
Medical Services: All full-time and part-time
firefighters have EMS training. Their responsibility
is to provide emergency care in emergency situations until
Iuka Ambulance Service arrives, then assist them as much
as possible. Fire Prevention: Includes
making fire inspections of businesses, doing arson
investigations and presenting fire prevention programs for
schools and other organizations. Training:
Responsible for the ongoing training of firefighting
and EMS.
The Iuka Fire Department was established in the early years of the
city. The department was made up of volunteers from
the community. The first apparatus was an A-Model
Ford truck which was housed at the Jourdan Ford Motor
Company. John Lair was the Parts and Service Manager for
the dealership and also served the City as the Fire Chief.
Mr. Lair was paid $10.00 per month by the city to keep the fire
truck in good working order and was responsible for getting the
apparatus to fires. In May of 1947, the city purchased a
new fire truck, a 1947 Ford which replaced the A-Model truck.
In
October of 1962, John Lair resigned as Fire Chief. The city hired
R. C. Huston as the first full-time Fire Chief. His
responsibilities were to keep the fire truck in good working
order, clean grass from around the fire hydrants and flush, oil
and paint all hydrants. His main responsibility was to
activate the fire siren and get the truck to fire
scenes.
At
this time, a fire station was built at the back of Iuka City
Hall, located on Front Street where General Dentistry is
currently located. In January of 1966, a second fireman
was hired to assist the chief. In February of 1969, fire
phones were installed in the homes of volunteer firemen to alert
them of fires and their location. With this new system,
our firemen could respond directly to the fire without having to
come to the station first.
In June of 1971, a new and modern fire
truck was purchased, a Chevrolet C-60 from Counce
Chevrolet. To accommodate this new truck, a second bay was
added to the fire station. In May of 1975, the city
purchased a Chevrolet C-600 truck, also from Counce
Chevrolet. Each of these apparatus were equipped with a
Howe apparatus bed and a 1,000 G.P.M. Waterous pump and 500
gallon tank. The '47 Ford was declared surplus property
and sold after the arrival of the '75 Chevrolet.
In 1981, the Iuka Fire Department moved
to it's present location at 118 S. Pearl Street. In 1993,
the city purchased a Custom E-ONE Protector Pumper with a 1,250
G.P.M. Hale pump and 750 gallon tank. With this new
purchase came the need for an addition to the Fire Station, so a
two-bay facility was added to the existing building. The
firemen served as dispatchers for the police department until
1995, when the City hired police dispatchers.
After that, the firemen went to shifts
of 24 hours on; 48 hours off. During the year of 1997, the
City purchased a second E-ONE/Freightliner Pumper with 1,250
G.P.M. Hale pump and 1,000 gallon tank. After the arrival
of this new Pumper, the '71 Chevrolet was sold to Tishomingo
County Fourth District and a 1998 Ford F-150 Chief Vehicle was
purchased. In 2002, the Department built offices, a
training classroom and a Kitchen in the bay area that previously
housed the '71 Chevrolet truck. The Fire Department
currently staffs 5 full-time, 5-part-time, and 15 volunteer
Firemen. The Iuka Fire Department has an insurance rating
of Class 7.
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