Fire Suppression – The Metro West Fire Protection District is considered a leader in suppression efforts.  While building codes and our efforts through the “Bureau of Fire Prevention” have proven to dramatically reduce the number of fires that we see in our residential and business community, a call for a fire in a home or business is something we are prepared for. 

Our staff is among the best trained in the area.  Each of our Firefighter / Paramedics is trained through the elite “St. Louis County Fire Academy”.  This academy spans over three months, five days per week of rigorous intense skills and classroom learning from the best most experienced firefighters in the business.  After the academy their learning doesn’t stop.  Our Firefighter / Paramedics train daily on various skills and advances that enable them to render the best and safest aid to you, your family, your pets, and your home or business in the event of a fire. 

Our equipment, thanks to your support, and most recently the support of our bond issue in 2003 is among the best as well.  All of our fire apparatus and rescue squads are equipped with the best in firefighting equipment.  Each unit is equipped with the basics like hose, its own water supply, air masks for the firefighters, radios, axes etc.  In addition to the basics, each unit is also equipped with a thermal imaging camera.  This device allows the crews to see through the smoke and locate trapped victims more quickly.  The devices also allow crews to locate the fire when it is confined in a wall or ceiling.  This is important to you because it limits the amount of damage that has to be done for our staff to extinguish the fire and ensure that it is completely out.

Paramedic / Emergency Medical Services – Pre-hospital emergency medical care has advanced dramatically from the early days at Metro West.  Director Ralph Starck recalled when he was a member of the volunteer department of the 1970’s they would drive station wagons to render first aid to people who were injured or experiencing medical emergencies, “During those days we took care of any basic medical care when we arrived and then took them to the hospital as fast as we could.” 

In the 1980’s the vision of what needed to be done in the field to care for victims changed.  The medical profession decided that with properly trained “Paramedics” that certain life saving steps that were only reserved for the emergency room would be administered in the field. 

In 1985, the Ballwin Fire Protection District, led by then Fire Chief James Silvernail appointed Captain / Paramedic Vincent T. Loyal as the first “Chief Medical Officer”.  This appointment held the rank of Battalion Chief and was responsible for the cross training of firefighters to achieve a vision of an all firefighter / paramedic staff.  Through a rigorous testing process for new staff, coupled with a close cooperation with St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, Battalion Chief Loyal, and the staff in 1985 started down the road to bring the best pre-hospital emergency medical care to the residents and businesses.  

Now we can say that vision has become reality.  Now Chief of Fire & EMS Services Vincent T. Loyal, all of his Chief Officers, and every front line fire and paramedic unit responds with the best crossed trained firefighter / paramedics, the best technology, and equipment to take care of everything from a fractured arm to a full cardiac arrest.  Now Battalion Chief and Chief Medical Officer M. Bud Mantle is responsible for over 80% of the calls for service that is provided by the Metro West Fire Protection District.

Technical Rescue and Specialty Services –The Metro West Fire Protection District has the capability of virtually every type of crisis or problem that is considered a life threatening situation.  Within our organization we can proudly say that we have some of the most highly skilled staff and equipment to render aid within a moment’s notice.  In addition, many of our staff is members of elite teams that respond all over the country to help others in their time of need.  The experience that our staff receives from these affiliations is important to the communities that we serve due to the first hand, real-life knowledge that they bring back to our organization.  Below are just some of the affiliations that our staff represents as Metro West Fire Protection District employees:

• Missouri Task Force 1, a Federal Urban Search and Rescue Team specially trained to respond to national disasters.  Employees of Metro West have represented you on this team to incidents like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Rita, and many others.
• St. Louis County SOAR Team, a local team and partnership with St. Louis County Police Department and Metro Air Support.  This team is trained in swift water operations from helicopters.  This team is vital with the amount of flash flooding that impact the St. Louis Region annually. 
• St. Louis Incident Support Team, a local team trained in incident management to respond throughout the State of Missouri to organize incident objectives, manage priorities and interface with State and Federal resources helping during and after a disaster.  Members of Metro West have represented you most recently on this team in Piedmont Missouri (severe flash flooding) and Cape Girardeau County (Ice Storm).
• St. Louis County Tactical Medic Team, this team is trained with St. Louis County Police Tactical Unit to provide a trained Paramedic to respond with the entry team during hostile situations.  The goal for this team is to take care of anyone injured during the response.  All too often a police officer is injured in a hostile area without the availability of paramedics care.  This team will mitigate those circumstances.
• St. Louis Area HAZMAT Team, this team is trained and equipped to respond to and manage Hazardous Materials leaks or accidents.  This team trains routinely on different types of chemicals and procedures for mitigating a major HAZMAT incident.

Fire Suppression – The Metro West Fire Protection District is considered a leader in suppression efforts.  While building codes and our efforts through the “Bureau of Fire Prevention” have proven to dramatically reduce the number of fires that we see in our residential and business community, a call for a fire in a home or business is something we are prepared for. 

Our staff is among the best trained in the area.  Each of our Firefighter / Paramedics is trained through the elite “St. Louis County Fire Academy”.  This academy spans over three months, five days per week of rigorous intense skills and classroom learning from the best most experienced firefighters in the business.  After the academy their learning doesn’t stop.  Our Firefighter / Paramedics train daily on various skills and advances that enable them to render the best and safest aid to you, your family, your pets, and your home or business in the event of a fire. 

Our equipment, thanks to your support, and most recently the support of our bond issue in 2003 is among the best as well.  All of our fire apparatus and rescue squads are equipped with the best in firefighting equipment.  Each unit is equipped with the basics like hose, its own water supply, air masks for the firefighters, radios, axes etc.  In addition to the basics, each unit is also equipped with a thermal imaging camera.  This device allows the crews to see through the smoke and locate trapped victims more quickly.  The devices also allow crews to locate the fire when it is confined in a wall or ceiling.  This is important to you because it limits the amount of damage that has to be done for our staff to extinguish the fire and ensure that it is completely out.

Paramedic / Emergency Medical Services – Pre-hospital emergency medical care has advanced dramatically from the early days at Metro West.  Director Ralph Starck recalled when he was a member of the volunteer department of the 1970’s they would drive station wagons to render first aid to people who were injured or experiencing medical emergencies, “During those days we took care of any basic medical care when we arrived and then took them to the hospital as fast as we could.” 

In the 1980’s the vision of what needed to be done in the field to care for victims changed.  The medical profession decided that with properly trained “Paramedics” that certain life saving steps that were only reserved for the emergency room would be administered in the field. 

In 1985, the Ballwin Fire Protection District, led by then Fire Chief James Silvernail appointed Captain / Paramedic Vincent T. Loyal as the first “Chief Medical Officer”.  This appointment held the rank of Battalion Chief and was responsible for the cross training of firefighters to achieve a vision of an all firefighter / paramedic staff.  Through a rigorous testing process for new staff, coupled with a close cooperation with St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, Battalion Chief Loyal, and the staff in 1985 started down the road to bring the best pre-hospital emergency medical care to the residents and businesses.  

Now we can say that vision has become reality.  Now Chief of Fire & EMS Services Vincent T. Loyal, all of his Chief Officers, and every front line fire and paramedic unit responds with the best crossed trained firefighter / paramedics, the best technology, and equipment to take care of everything from a fractured arm to a full cardiac arrest.  Now Battalion Chief and Chief Medical Officer M. Bud Mantle is responsible for over 80% of the calls for service that is provided by the Metro West Fire Protection District.

Technical Rescue and Specialty Services –The Metro West Fire Protection District has the capability of virtually every type of crisis or problem that is considered a life threatening situation.  Within our organization we can proudly say that we have some of the most highly skilled staff and equipment to render aid within a moment’s notice.  In addition, many of our staff is members of elite teams that respond all over the country to help others in their time of need.  The experience that our staff receives from these affiliations is important to the communities that we serve due to the first hand, real-life knowledge that they bring back to our organization.  Below are just some of the affiliations that our staff represents as Metro West Fire Protection District employees:

• Missouri Task Force 1, a Federal Urban Search and Rescue Team specially trained to respond to national disasters.  Employees of Metro West have represented you on this team to incidents like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Rita, and many others.
• St. Louis County SOAR Team, a local team and partnership with St. Louis County Police Department and Metro Air Support.  This team is trained in swift water operations from helicopters.  This team is vital with the amount of flash flooding that impact the St. Louis Region annually. 
• St. Louis Incident Support Team, a local team trained in incident management to respond throughout the State of Missouri to organize incident objectives, manage priorities and interface with State and Federal resources helping during and after a disaster.  Members of Metro West have represented you most recently on this team in Piedmont Missouri (severe flash flooding) and Cape Girardeau County (Ice Storm).
• St. Louis County Tactical Medic Team, this team is trained with St. Louis County Police Tactical Unit to provide a trained Paramedic to respond with the entry team during hostile situations.  The goal for this team is to take care of anyone injured during the response.  All too often a police officer is injured in a hostile area without the availability of paramedics care.  This team will mitigate those circumstances.
• St. Louis Area HAZMAT Team, this team is trained and equipped to respond to and manage Hazardous Materials leaks or accidents.  This team trains routinely on different types of chemicals and procedures for mitigating a major HAZMAT incident.