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2015-2016 Odessa City Guide
Page 10
Fire
Odessa Fire & Rescue District
On duty for a work shift at the Odessa Fire and Rescue Protection District were, from left, Kyle Campbell,
firefighter, Captain Roger Kratz, Chief Kevin Campbell and Kiefer Kratz, firefighter.
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LAFAYETTE COUNTY
210 S. Third Street
P.O. Box 317
Odessa, Missouri 64076
(816) 633-7125 or (816) 230-7313
Odessa Fire and Rescue Protection District was organized in 1993,
after years of service as a City of Odessa and Rural Fire Association.
Firefighter staff includes full and part-time employees and volun-
teers.
Kevin Campbell is District Fire Chief.
The District operates under a publicly elected Board of Directors.
Larry Horne serves as Board President. David Magruder is Board
secretary, and Kent Shutt is Board Treasurer of the five-member
board which also includes Marty McDermed and Hap Phillips as Di-
rectors.
A six- bay fire station at the corner of Dryden andThird streets was
dedicated in 1995.
The District operates on a tax levy of .47cents per $100 of assessed
valuation.
Insurance rating for the City of Odessa and five miles beyond the
City limits is six. Most of the rest of the area has a rating of eight or
nine.
The District, which covers 101 square miles, has made many im-
provements since 1895, when the first department used a team of
horses owned by G.B. Thatcher to pull the ladder wagon.
District equipment includes a 2003 engine, 2000 engine, 1993 75-
foot ladder truck, 2006 tanker and 1998 tanker. The District also
has three brush trucks and one utility truck in its fleet. Through the
years, miscellaneous equipment, firefighter turnout gear and rescue
equipment upgrades also have taken place.
In-house training is held three nights a month and provides fire-
fighters with the latest techniques for saving lives and property. Ad-
ditional training is made available through statewide firefighting
schools and universities. The department has 22 members who carry
both Firefighter I and Firefighter II certifications, and three have
attained Firefighter I certification status. Thirteen have completed
training as state licensed EMTs, and six are state-licensed paramed-
ics.
Assistant Chief Matt Couch, Captain Roger Kratz and Captain
Josh Riley serve on the officer management team for the District. The
Firefighter staff includes Kyle Campbell, Charles Harvey, Keith Gib-
son, Billy Hotmer, Grant Kuhlmann, Nathan Thomas, Steve Watt,
Kiefer Kratz, Cody Bowman, James Addington, Mike Bara, Mikeal
Snedeger, Josh Sidebottom, Chris Palmer, Kevin Criss, Cody Chap-
lin, Travis Hopkins, Bobby Sanchez, Scott Price, Willie Stratton, Bob
Simpson and Codey Null. Justus Nixon serves as a junior firefighter.
Chief Campbell, Captain Kratz and Firefighter Campbell serve the
district as full-time personnel, along with a rotating team of part-
time staffers filling a fourth position. The District has staff in the
station seven days a week from 7 am- 5 pm.