Politicians expected as Fire Department adds staff

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, U.S. Rep. Billy Long and State Rep. Lincoln Hough are scheduled to attend a news conference today celebrating eight new recruits for the Springfield Fire Department.

The hiring of the firefighters was made possible by a $1.2 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, a program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The hirings represent the first increase in the number of Springfield firefighters since 2002, according to a city news release.

“With all of the rhetoric that clogs the airwaves these days, often the good work that goes on in Washington is overlooked,” said Tony Kelley, president of the Missouri State Council of Firefighters, in the release. The organization invited the state and national politicians to the news conference, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Springfield Regional Police and Fire Training Center, 2620 W. Battlefield Road.

The additional firefighters initially will staff high-call volume and west-side districts. Plans call for them to eventually staff Fire Station 13, planned for the corner of West Chestnut Expressway and Duke Avenue.