Shortly after developer R.T. Crow created Lake St Louis in 1966, he recognized the need for protection services for this new community. In 1969, Crow and 5 other men organized the Lake St Louis Volunteer Fire Department, purchasing
their own coats, boots, and hardhats (not fire helmets) and fighting their first fire out of former Fire Chief Ed Whitney’s pickup truck. The fire department borrowed a fire truck from a fire equipment supplier and the Chapel of the Lake
church offered up garage space for the department to store their truck and equipment, unofficially making the residential structure, which stands at the corner of Rue Grand and Cognac, the first Lake St Louis fire house. The Lake St
Louis Community Association manager, who was one of the original 6 members of the fire department, purchased a 500gpm pumper, which the firefighters “borrowed” since they still had no method of gaining revenue to purchase vital
equipment.
In 1972, the voters of Lake St Louis overwhelmingly approved the formation of a taxing fire protection district with 171 yes votes to only 6 no votes and the Lake St Louis Fire Protection District was officially formed in July of 1972. With revenue finally secured, the fire district built its first official fire house on the South Service Rd., purchased a new fire truck and equipment, and also bought the truck that had previously been on loan from the Community Association. The fire district hired its first paid employee in 1977, bringing on a part-time Fire Marshall after the board of directors adopted the (BOCA) Basic Building Codes.
Significant growth on the eastern and southern sides of the lake created a response issue for a community that is surrounding a large lake, so fire station #2 was opened in 1981 on Lake St Louis Blvd. The road stopped short of the buildings location at that time and a gravel road was used to access the new fire house. The district also after a statewide reassessment required the district to rollback its tax rate, it was feared that the fire district would not be able to maintain its current expenses or plan for future growth. However, in 1986 the voters approved a tax levy increase that allowed the district to hire its first full-time firefighter, who was previously the volunteer fire chief, to run the operations of the district. Not long after, two more full-time employees were hired to handle code enforcement and the daily functions of the district.
As the community grew, so did the district and in 1991 there were 4 full-time firefighters who manned the fire station Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. This left only nights and weekends solely dependent on volunteer response. With the continued growth of the city, a third station was opened in 1994 for volunteer response and in 1995, part-time paid firefighters were added to the mix to supplement the full-time staff. More full-time employees were eventually hired and in 2003 the district was able to staff a fire station with full-time paid firefighters 24 hours per day from 6am Monday morning to 6pm on Friday with 2 alternating crews. This still left the weekends dependent on volunteer response and local volunteer activity had been in decline, so in 2004 the district implemented its reserve firefighter program. This allowed volunteer firefighters who lived outside of the district to work 12 hour weekend manning shifts at the district’s Ellerman Rd station.
In 2008, after informing the public that the growth of the community and current call volume necessitated a full-time firefighting force, the first tax levy increase since 1986 was approved and the Lake St Louis Fire District was able to guarantee 24/7 coverage for its citizens for the first time in its history. Though staffing levels were finally addressed, the district began dealing with aging trucks, outdated equipment, and PPE that had long passed its expiration date. 2016 saw the Lake St Louis community overwhelmingly support its fire district and its firefighters once again, allowing the district to replace its 20 year old fire truck, equipment, and outdated fire gear. The district took delivery of its current Ferrara MVP rescue pumper in 2017 and had it stocked with the state of the art equipment it had been lacking, as well as brand new personal protective equipment. Another issue that received support from the community was the construction of a new fire station.
All of the district’s previous stations locations had been selected with volunteer response in mind, but did not make sense for what the fire district was today. So on February 1, 2019, the Lake St Louis Fire District officially opened its new fire station at 1815 Lake St Louis Blvd for emergency response giving the full-time crews quick access to either side of the lake and improving its overall emergency response services for the community. Today, the Lake St Louis Fire Protection District covers 7 square miles and approximately 12,000 residents with fire, rescue, and emergency
medical services. The district’s two large lakes have always made water rescue response an important part of the service we provide and it continues to be a large focus of the district today. We currently operate out of one station with a
Fire Chief, 12 full-time firefighters, and an administrative assistant.
their own coats, boots, and hardhats (not fire helmets) and fighting their first fire out of former Fire Chief Ed Whitney’s pickup truck. The fire department borrowed a fire truck from a fire equipment supplier and the Chapel of the Lake
church offered up garage space for the department to store their truck and equipment, unofficially making the residential structure, which stands at the corner of Rue Grand and Cognac, the first Lake St Louis fire house. The Lake St
Louis Community Association manager, who was one of the original 6 members of the fire department, purchased a 500gpm pumper, which the firefighters “borrowed” since they still had no method of gaining revenue to purchase vital
equipment.
In 1972, the voters of Lake St Louis overwhelmingly approved the formation of a taxing fire protection district with 171 yes votes to only 6 no votes and the Lake St Louis Fire Protection District was officially formed in July of 1972. With revenue finally secured, the fire district built its first official fire house on the South Service Rd., purchased a new fire truck and equipment, and also bought the truck that had previously been on loan from the Community Association. The fire district hired its first paid employee in 1977, bringing on a part-time Fire Marshall after the board of directors adopted the (BOCA) Basic Building Codes.
Significant growth on the eastern and southern sides of the lake created a response issue for a community that is surrounding a large lake, so fire station #2 was opened in 1981 on Lake St Louis Blvd. The road stopped short of the buildings location at that time and a gravel road was used to access the new fire house. The district also after a statewide reassessment required the district to rollback its tax rate, it was feared that the fire district would not be able to maintain its current expenses or plan for future growth. However, in 1986 the voters approved a tax levy increase that allowed the district to hire its first full-time firefighter, who was previously the volunteer fire chief, to run the operations of the district. Not long after, two more full-time employees were hired to handle code enforcement and the daily functions of the district.
As the community grew, so did the district and in 1991 there were 4 full-time firefighters who manned the fire station Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. This left only nights and weekends solely dependent on volunteer response. With the continued growth of the city, a third station was opened in 1994 for volunteer response and in 1995, part-time paid firefighters were added to the mix to supplement the full-time staff. More full-time employees were eventually hired and in 2003 the district was able to staff a fire station with full-time paid firefighters 24 hours per day from 6am Monday morning to 6pm on Friday with 2 alternating crews. This still left the weekends dependent on volunteer response and local volunteer activity had been in decline, so in 2004 the district implemented its reserve firefighter program. This allowed volunteer firefighters who lived outside of the district to work 12 hour weekend manning shifts at the district’s Ellerman Rd station.
In 2008, after informing the public that the growth of the community and current call volume necessitated a full-time firefighting force, the first tax levy increase since 1986 was approved and the Lake St Louis Fire District was able to guarantee 24/7 coverage for its citizens for the first time in its history. Though staffing levels were finally addressed, the district began dealing with aging trucks, outdated equipment, and PPE that had long passed its expiration date. 2016 saw the Lake St Louis community overwhelmingly support its fire district and its firefighters once again, allowing the district to replace its 20 year old fire truck, equipment, and outdated fire gear. The district took delivery of its current Ferrara MVP rescue pumper in 2017 and had it stocked with the state of the art equipment it had been lacking, as well as brand new personal protective equipment. Another issue that received support from the community was the construction of a new fire station.
All of the district’s previous stations locations had been selected with volunteer response in mind, but did not make sense for what the fire district was today. So on February 1, 2019, the Lake St Louis Fire District officially opened its new fire station at 1815 Lake St Louis Blvd for emergency response giving the full-time crews quick access to either side of the lake and improving its overall emergency response services for the community. Today, the Lake St Louis Fire Protection District covers 7 square miles and approximately 12,000 residents with fire, rescue, and emergency
medical services. The district’s two large lakes have always made water rescue response an important part of the service we provide and it continues to be a large focus of the district today. We currently operate out of one station with a
Fire Chief, 12 full-time firefighters, and an administrative assistant.
