On November 7, 2016, the Concordia Fire Department was named 2016 Fire Department of the Year by the Missouri Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (MAMIC).

Formed in 1895, the Concordia Fire Department serves a ten-square mile area in and around Concordia. Made up of 30 volunteer members who are all first responder certified, the department responds to an average of 140 calls per year, including many motor vehicle accidents that occur on the ten-mile stretch of I-70 running through the fire district.

The department is equipped with four pumpers, a tanker truck, and three brush trucks and operates out of two separate stations in Concordia and Emma. With the updates to their equipment and quick response times, the department has increased efficiency and recently qualified for a lower Public Protection Class (PPC) rating by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), moving from a 6 to a 4. The PPC program is used by insurance companies to establish fair premiums for fire insurance and generally, communities with better protection are subject to lower premiums. After measuring the effectiveness of fire protection services in an area, the ISO assigns a classification between 1 and 10, with 1 being the best.

The department is active in the community, hosting fire prevention programs in local schools each year in accordance with Fire Prevention Week, and greeting over 600 trick-or-treaters at the fire house annually on Halloween. Members also regularly volunteer at other various events as requested.

MAMIC President, Ron Borders, praised the Concordia Fire Department in his speech at the convention:

“The Concordia Fire Department exemplifies what can be accomplished by hard working volunteers with the full support of the community they serve. They are a symbol of the ultimate volunteer making our rural communities what they are today. It’s folks like these that make our communities, our state, and our nation proud.”

For more information on this announcement, contact Cindy Tolias directly: 660.463.2223, ext. 116.