Welcome to the Joplin Fire Department web site. Thank you for taking the time to visit our site.  I hope you find it informative and interesting.  To the Joplin Fire Department, there is nothing more important than the community we serve, and the men and women of this organization recognize their responsibility to help ensure the safety of our citizens. 

Our Mission:

To provide compassionate customer service to the citizens and visitors of the City of Joplin by providing safety, security, and peace of mind through training and positive reinforcement.

Our Vision:

To protect life, property, and the environment by proactively addressing the needs of the community.

Since 1882, our department has strived to adapt and change as the risks, threats, and challenges to the community have changed. However, I firmly believe that our greatest asset in carrying out the Joplin Fire Department mission is our team of hard-working professionals, dedicated to the delivery of top-notch public safety service.  

We value the history and the tradition of the Joplin Fire Department, an organization built upon the strong shoulders of our past that has prepared us for the future.  Members of the Joplin Fire Department are well suited to lead the way – with the continued purpose of serving our community and the vision to provide a contemporary and dynamic, sustainable fire and emergency medical service.

Within the Joplin Fire Department, we take pride in many things that make us “Who we are.” Things like:

• Our outstanding commitment to quality customer service
• Our continued focus on meeting the ever-changing emergency response needs of our community
• Our belief that we are a part of the community we serve
• Our commitment to providing the finest training to our personnel
• The family atmosphere that permeates the organization
• Our dedication to our Mission and Vision Statements

These statements set the tone for the day-to-day activities and actions that regulate how we perform. The Department is made up of 104 personnel, with a variety of different skill sets and levels of training, all working together as a team to serve the residents, businesses, and visitors of this community.

The Joplin Fire Department serves an area of approximately 50 square miles and a daytime population of 240,000. The City is protected by:
 
• A daily, on-duty strength of 31 members and 7 administrative personnel
• Staffing six strategically located stations
 
Firefighters serve the City on:
• 4 engine companies,
• 2 truck companies
• 2 rescue/hazardous materials unit
 
Currently the Department holds an ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating of 2 which helps ensure some of the lowest rates available for Residential Hazard Insurance.

 I am proud of the members of this Department. I watch them daily, perform heroic deeds and monumental acts of kindness & compassion while remaining outside of the limelight.  Time and time again our personnel just indicate, “I was just doing my job and what I was trained to do.” 

We are a progressive fire department that values our past, understands the present, and embraces the challenges of the future. We are committed to providing the citizens of Joplin with the best service possible.

In closing, our promise to all that we serve is that we will always be prepared to respond to your needs, day or night, with professionalism, compassion, and respect, regardless of the situation.

Gerald S. Ezell, Fire Chief
Joplin Fire Department