Mountain Grove Fire Dept.

Saturday the Department responded for a working structure fire. After arriving we found out the land owner was having a control burn. Anytime your doing a control burn contact 911 and and let them know your name, address and call back number. That way if someone passes by and calls it in 911 can then confirm with the land owner if it's still under control. We want to thank Nina Todd for capturing these photos for us. Will put a few videos in the comments.

Last night at around 1:45 A.m. the Department received a call about an old abandoned house off East old 60 and Lime Quarry road. A passerby spotted the small fire and stopped and ran in before the fire was big thinking maybe someone was inside trying to keep warm and it got out of control. After he quickly checked it and found no one he called 911. Upon our arrival the fire intensified. Due to it being abandoned for many years we protected the woods and let it burn. If you was in that area from 1 A.M. to 1:30 A.m. and noticed any vehicles or people around it please PM us. Any information would be appreciated. Also would like the 2 passerby individuals who stopped and remained on scene and checking the building for anyone hurt.

Wanted to pass along some information. Anyone who is a Rural Fire Member should be getting thier membership renew now. Many have noticed the membership has gone up. This is something though the rural board didn't wanted to do it was necessary. The cost of equipment, maintenance and firefighter gear has went up as everything has. Its been about 15 years since the dues have been raised. Some equipment and apparatus are becoming out dated and eventually will need replacing. This money will greatly help on the future purchase of any newer equipment, apparatus and also keeping the maintenance up on what we have. We take the best care of what you all have helped to provide, time is just catching up to some of these.

The field of public safety is often times filled with the sad reality of the loss of life. Sometimes that loss of life is tragically seen while in the line of duty, however, a majority of the time the loss of life is due to natural causes. When the loss of life occurs, it is the duty of the brothers and sisters of that member to honor and respect the memory and legacy of that person when they are laid to rest. While honoring the person through ceremonial events we also hon...or the family who sacrificed countless hours, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and etc while that member was serving their community. In October of 2020, Firefighter and Animal Control Officer Tom Hicks attended a conference at the Lake of the Ozarks. This conference was detailing how to establish an Honor Guard and the ceremonial events that take place to honor our public safety officers. Upon returning back home from the conference, Hicks spoke with Fire Chief Mark Bushong, Police Chief Danny Bledsoe, and City Administrator Tim Schook for approval to form and advance forward with an Honor Guard for Mountain Grove and surrounding areas to ensure that we are able to properly honor the memory and legacy of our law enforcement and firefighters should they answer their "final call". With approval to move forward Hicks began the process of finding members for that team. Today we are proud to announce the 10 members of the Honor Guard that Hicks has formed. Members consist of 5 firefighters and 5 police officers. They still have a long way to go but have been training for about a month now and in January will be having a dinner and silent auction benefit to raise funds to purchase the necessary equipment for the Honor Guard. Members are as follows. Tom Hicks - Commander / Firefighter Sean McClear - Asst. Commander / Law Enforcement Jordan Primanzon - Senior Drill Instructor / Firefighter Zach Horton - Drill Instructor / Law Enforcement Brian Jackson - Law Enforcement Jimmy Campbell - Law Enforcement Brandon Meacham - Law Enforcement David Todd - Firefighter Jacob Decker - Firefighter Michael Wilke - Firefighter We will be announcing final details for the benefit dinner and silent auction in the coming days. We would greatly appreciate your support. If you would like to donate directly to the Honor Guard you can contact the Fire House at 417-926-4445.

We got a special visit this afternoon! This is Ben Mantonya aka "Juice", Ben was one of firefighters for many years before he decided to join the Air Force. While home on leave he had to stop by his old department and visit. We told him if he ever comes home there will always be a spot for him. So very proud of this young man and who has become. Thank you for your service to this country. We have seen so many of our firefighters leave to become Doctors, Military, or other great careers. We are so proud of them all. Very proud to say that many of them have stated it was joining the department as volunteers is what opened up the door for them.

Good morning fans. December is a new month and its getting cold. With last month being very active with structure fires let's go over some safety tips. 1. Fireplaces: keep those flues clean and have them inspected yearly (best right before the cold season) Never use green wood. It builds up creosote faster which is flammable. During the middle of the winter, if a warm day presents itself let the fire die out and give the flu a quick cleaning to knock off any buildup. 2. ...Space heaters: please pay the extra money for the safety features! Never leave them running while your gone, always unplug them when your gone. Never place close to beds or couches and keep everything away at least 6 feet. Never place on extension cords as they are not rated for that large amount of wattage. Never place 2 space heaters on the same electric outlet breakers. If you have an older house or even trailers keep in mind they typically have older wiring that is not rated for the high wattage these heaters draw. Ovens, yes people have used them for heat as well. Make sure that nothing is inside them or near them. All items on top and near it on the counter are removed. We do not in anyway encourage the use of space heaters or stoves, but realize that this is done and sometimes the only means of heat. We simply want you all to be as safe as possible. If this simple information prevents even one house fire then it is worth it! Colder Temps are setting in this week. So please remember these temps. Please, share this with everyone. Together we can get the word out. As always, please stay safe.