Not your Grandfather’s Fire Service  

Up until the 1970’s a fire department rarely did anything more than fight fires and provide basic first aid. However, over the past thirty years fire departments have evolved to provide an ever growing amount of sophisticated services to the communities they serve. Today the Sioux City Fire Department and its Local 7 members provide Sioux City residents with an EMT-I service, a Confined Space Rescue Team, a High Angle Rope Rescue Team, a Fire Prevention Bureau, Vehicle Rescue, Fire Prevention Education with our fire safety house, a Hazardous Materials Response Team that covers Sioux City and twelve N.W. Iowa counties, and the SCFD and its Local 7 members are playing a key role in the development of Iowa Task Force-1, Iowa’s first Urban Search and Rescue Team. And, oh yes, we still fight fires.

History of the Sioux City Fire Department and Local 7  

Sioux City’s first volunteer fire companies began to form in 1858, shortly after the city became incorporated. By 1874 Sioux City had twenty-two volunteer fire fighters, one horse drawn steam fire engine, one horse drawn hook & ladder truck and two hose carts that were pushed by hand. The horses were owned by the fire fighters because the city did not have the money for both the equipment and the horses. It wasn’t until 1881 that the city began to purchase horse teams for use by the fire department.

In 1888 the city began to pay its fire fighters and had twenty-five on the payroll by the end of that year. In 1889 George M. Kellogg became chief of the Sioux City Fire Department, a post he held until 1939. Chief Kellogg has the distinction of being the longest and oldest serving paid Fire Chief in U.S. history, he was 78 when he retired in 1939.

Sioux City’s horse drawn fire teams meet their climax in the 1900’s. In 1902 the horse team of Corbett and Sullivan won the World Title at a race in Davenport, IA. Seven years later the team of Patty and Prince set a world record in a “Free-for-all” race against ten other teams. The team’s time was 1 minute and 13 3/5 seconds, this record stood until 1912 when the competition ended.

Sioux City’s fire fighters were always a foreword looking, progressive bunch and by 1915 they were looking to better their lives and the services that they provided the people of Sioux City. They decided to organize a union and had set a date to hold their first meeting for January 12, 1916. However, due to a large church fire that day the first meeting was held on January 19 th. It was decided at this meeting that they needed to promote better wages and working conditions for the firemen of the city.

Since its inception Local 7 has been affiliated with local and national labor organizations of the American Federation of Labor. The first regular meeting was held in the Labor Temple on February 3, 1916 at which time they became affiliated with the Sioux City Trades and Labor Assembly. The Association was very instrumental in getting the two platoon work system adopted in 1918.

As early as May 6, 1917 our members were farsighted enough to realize the tremendous advantages of having an international group representing paid permanent members of fire departments. They wrote letters to other departments and urged the formation of such an organization. When the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) was organized on February 28, 1918 the Sioux City fire fighters were chapter members and became IAFF Local No. 7. Local 7 members then helped to form the Iowa Association of Fire Fighters in 1923.

In the early 1930’s dissention arose among the members of the Local, a drop in membership occurred, followed by an attempt to organize a rival group. The dissention lasted only a few years and by 1940 the union had regained 100% membership among the fire fighters and has remained so to this day.

History Timeline  

• 1884, Fireman Lawrence Shanley is killed in the line of duty.
• 1885, Fireman William T. J. Scherer is killed in the line of duty.
• Jan. 12, 1888, Martin Block fire. One whole city block destroyed, 32 degrees below zero, 36 of the 40 responding volunteer firemen suffered frost bite. This fire prompted city officials to create a full-time paid fire department.
• 1888 Sioux City’s volunteer fire department becomes a professional fire department with paid members.
• Nov. 16, 1902, fire at the Armour & Co.’s packing house with a loss estimated over $1,000,000.
• Dec. 23, 1904, fire in the Pelletier Dry Goods Store at 4 th and Jackson spreads rapidly. Before it was all over two whole city blocks had burned to the ground.
• Sept. 26, 1911, Fireman Joseph Brow is killed in the line of duty.
• Mar. 26, 1914, Brown block fire. Firemen Frank Fulton and Seeley Lawton are killed in the line of duty.
• Jan. 19, 1916, members of the Sioux City Fire Department unionize and becomes affiliated with the AFL.
• Feb. 28, 1918, members of the Sioux City Fire Department join the IAFF, and become Local No. 7.
• June 1918, the Ruff fire is the worst disaster to strike Sioux City to date, 39 lives lost.
• Dec. 14, 1949, natural gas explosion and fire at Swift and Co. packing plant claims 21 people.
• Oct. 31, 1952, Capt. Velois Linden and Fireman Stephen Mironchick are killed in the line of duty.
• June 8, 1953, the Floyd River flood drives thousands from their homes and causes tensof millions in damages. No lives are lost in part due to the efforts of the SCFD.
• Sept. 9, 1965, Fireman Edward Kudron is killed in the line of duty.
• Jan. 1, 1966, the Sioux City Fire Department adopts a three platoon system and adds 30 fire fighters to the department, bringing it’s manpower up to 140 fire fighters and 3 civilian employees. At this time the SCFD consists of 8 Engine Companies and 3 Truck Companies ran out of 8 Fire Stations. ( Sioux City’s population is approx. 81,000)
• 1968-1972, the Sioux City Fire Department suffers manpower cuts made by city council resolutions bringing it’s manpower down to 133 fire fighters.
• 1973, Fire Station #9 with one Engine Company opens at the corner of 27 th and Chambers.
• 1974-1978, the city council cuts 2 more fire fighter positions.
• July 1, 1979, the city council closes down Fire Station #9 which had been open for only six years, dissolving one Engine Company and cutting an additional 5 fire fighters. Decreasing the cities fire department to 126 fire fighters.
• 1980-1982, the city council cuts an additional 8 fire fighters closes down Fire Station #2 and dissolves one Engine Company, further decreasing the cities fire protection.
• June 27, 1982, the Hen house fire claims Firemen Kirk Wicker and Michael Johnson.
• 1987 the city council cuts 1 fire fighter position.
• July 19, 1989, crash of flight 232 at Sioux Gateway Airport. 184 survive and 112 are killed. The SCFD plays a pivotal role in saving many lives.
• 1991, the city council cuts 1 fire fighter position.
• 1993, Local 7 and the nurses from the St. Lukes Burn Unit join together and create the St. Florian Fire & Burn Foundation.
• 1995, St. Florian holds their first Burn Camp at Camp Foster, now called Miracle Burn Camp. Many Local 7 firefighters have become burn camp councilors over the years.
• 1997, The SCFD develops a Regional Haz-Mat Team to cover 12 counties in N.W. Iowa.
• 2003, first time in recorded Sioux City history, no person’s lost due to fire related injury or accident for a calendar year, Jan. 1- Dec. 31, 2003. Also during this year the city council required the fire department to cut 3 fire fighter positions.
• Oct., 2003, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids Fire Departments are selected to become the sponsoring agencies for Iowa’s Urban Search and Rescue Team (IA-TF1).

Today the Sioux City Fire Department consists of 113 fire fighters and four civilian employees. The city of Sioux City has grown in size and population (approx. 86,900), but its fire department has shrunk in staffing to its lowest point in forty years, requiring the SCFD and its Local 7 members to do more with less. Today the Fire Department runs 2 Rescue Engine Companies, 3 Engine Companies, 2 Truck Companies and 2 Combination Engine/HazMat Companies out of 7 Fire Stations.

 Fire Department Staff Assignments

• 1 Fire Chief
• 1 Administrative Assistant Fire Chief
• 1 USAR Assistant Fire Chief (salary paid by DHS funds)
• 1 Fire Marshal
• 2 Fire Prevention Bureau Lieutenants
• 1 Training Officer (Captain)
• 1 Public Information Officer (Fire fighter)
• 3 Administrative Personnel (civilians)
• 1 Mechanic (civilian)

And three platoons on 24 hour shifts, each shift has:

• 1 Assistant Fire Chief
• 3 Captains
• 6 Lieutenants
• 25 Fire fighters

It has been noted by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) that minimum safe staffing levels for fire apparatus is four fire fighters per apparatus. Sioux City’s Fire Department does not meet this standard. To meet this standard the SCFD would have to hire an additional 21 fire fighters bringing the department back to the 1971 staffing level of 134.

Our Lost Brothers

Since its inception the Sioux City Fire Department has lost 10 fire fighters in the line of duty, they are as follows:

Lawrence Shanley 1884
William T.J. Scherer 1885
Henry J. Brow 1911
Frank Fulton 1914
Seeley Lawton 1914
Valois Linden 1952
Stephen Mironchik 1952
Edward Kudron 1965
Kirk Wicker 1982
Michael Johnson 1982

Knowing full well that fire fighting is a hazardous duty, the fire fighters of Local 7 are dedicated to serve Sioux City, and to protect the life and property of it’s citizens.