President’s Remarks – July 2026

Community Through Service

Greetings to all. I hope your summer has been progressing well and you have been able to avoid either the higher temperatures and/or the out of character rain storms. It has certainly been a trying time concerning the weather, with notable flooding in our state. Once again, members of the Missouri fire service stepped up when needed to work with local, state and federal assets, all working to achieve as much of a good outcome as possible during the most recent flooding. Good job to all involved.

I know you have been hearing about the new fire station at the Missouri State Fair to be used by the FFAM/Missouri State Fair Fire Department for some time. Although many were skeptical that the building would be ready by State Fair 2026, the contractor stayed on task and we were allowed to start moving back in on July 10. We will continue to adjust to the new facility and work out the “kinks” over the coming months, but no matter how you look at the facility, we are far ahead of where we were for many years. Our thanks to the elected officials, fair personnel and the contractors that helped make this new home a reality! My personal thanks to each of our members who either helped vacate the old facility or have helped with the move-in at the new facility. Your numbers were small at times, but mighty nonetheless. The process has not been a simple one with planning the needed logistics, but you all stepped up and have done a fantastic job.

Please remember the memorial services will be in Kingdom City on October 3rd and 4th. Place these dates on your calendar so you can be present and honor those fire service members who have passed away. The Memorial Foundation can always use more assistance leading up to and particularly during the two ceremonies. If you would like to help out, please reach out to Keith Smith or any foundation board member and offer your assistance.

We missed seeing many of you at the 2026 Convention, but we are looking forward to seeing you in Branson April 30 – May 2 for Convention 2027. The lake area folks are working hard to put together another memorable convention and we hope you will consider joining us. The opening event will be on Friday, with the challenge games and awards banquet taking place on Saturday as normal and the annual business meeting will be on Sunday morning. Even if you can’t attend the entire convention, I would encourage you to attend the business meeting to participate in the governance of your organization. Keep watching for additional convention information on our website, Facebook page and emails.

How have you highlighted your agency in your local community? Are you doing all you can to make sure those you serve know you are available to help them not only on the worst day of their lives, but also for education and general assistance? The more you provide to your community, the more your services are valued and building relationships within your community becomes easier. When you turn to your community for support, generally for funding, either by way of tax increases or bonding authority, attending the department BBQ fundraiser or bingo night, they are generally more willing to assist when they see the value you provide to them. If the doors at the station are always “closed” and your personnel are not interacting in a positive manner all year long, it is often much more difficult to garner the support of the community when they have no clue who you are or what you really do. Make time to be involved, schedule some community events or take part in those scheduled by other local organizations. The more they know, the more you benefit while providing them quality, highly trained, skilled and timely services.

If the Board of Directors can be of assistance to you or your agency, please contact us. As you continue to serve your communities throughout the state, Be Safe!