Des Moines Fire Department

This is the story of how one sprinkler became a hero:

Today, just after 10 a.m., we received a call for a fire in a downtown high-rise building.

One sprinkler on an upper floor of the 20 story building activated and suppressed the fire until our crews arrived and completed extinguishment with minimal damage incurred.

Active high-rise fires can involve up to 40 firefighters and take hours to control, but because of this heroic sprinkler, it only required 10 firefighters to ensure the fire was out, shut down the sprinkler system, ventilate smoke and ensure that the building was safe for people to return.

Sprinklers like this help ensure better outcomes in fires and allow more of our firefighters tp remain available for other emergencies throughout the city!

Stay home if possible, exercise caution on the roads if necessary, and obey all signage.

Along with Des Moines Police, we are currently responding to the results of the storm tonight and assessing all damage.

You can report downed trees blocking the road at DSM.city/Report or with the myDSMmobile app. Des Moines Public Works is also available 24/7 at (515) 283-4950.

Please report power outages to MidAmerican Energy (888-427-5632).

Again, stay home and stay safe!

A wet and wild way to celebrate Independence Day!

At the annual Fourth of July Slip N’ Slide this afternoon, we provided the water and Des Moines Parks and Recreation provided the fun.

Thanks for celebrating with us today, DSM!

This Independence Day, leave the fireworks to the professionals.

Last year we responded to 20 fires caused by fireworks and we see first-hand the injuries fireworks can cause.

Remember that while fireworks are illegal in the City of Des Moines, there are several professional fireworks displays in Des Moines over the next few days (and many more in surrounding cities).

We hope you celebrate Independence Day safely, Des Moines!

What a fun day at the Des Moines Fire Department's Station #1!

Thanks to everyone who came to our Fire Safety Open House for some fun and fire safety tips yesterday.

We had a blast showing hundreds of kids around the obstacle course and teaching them about fire prevention and what to do in the case of a fire.

Who knows... there may have been some future firefighters among our visitors!

Coming to a Billboard near you!

Earlier today, the Rotary Club of Des Moines recognized Firefighter Jason Courtney as the 2024 Firefighter of the Year.

Jason has been with DMFD for over 8 years, joining us after a decorated career in the US Army. He exemplifies work ethic, intelligence, physical strength and takes decisive action in stressful situations.

Last December, Jason was dispatched to a residential fire with two people trapped inside. He headed to the second floor to perform a search and rescue based on dispatch-provided information. With low visibility and heavy smoke and fire, Jason was able to quickly locate and remove the unresponsive victim. Without his quick actions, the victim likely would not have survived.

Stories like these exemplify Firefighter Courtney's character and why he was a clear choice to be this year's Firefighter of the Year.

Congratulations, Jason!

For 34 years, Firefighter Antonio "Tony" Tuazon has fought fires with our department.

Tuazon is a Hoover graduate who served with the U.S. Army Reserves and has been a member of the Hazardous Material Team for nearly his entire time with DMFD.

He has received numerous awards throughout his career, but will be remembered by all who worked with him for more than his work performance. His positive attitude, commitment to the team work ethic and sense of humor have made our department better for decades.

Thank you Tony for. the impact you've had, and for 34 years of service.

We'll miss you, but wish you the very best in retirement. See you around!

We've got another round of promotions to celebrate.

Please join us in congratulating the following firefighters on their recent hard-earned promotions:

Dan Gilliatt promoted to Fire Captain
Thomas Bender promoted to Engineer
Patrick Houlihan promoted to Engineer
Johnathan Mitchell promoted to Engineer
John Waechter promoted to Engineer

We started off our week with a promotion ceremony this morning.

Please join us in congratulating the following DMFD employees who earned new titles and positions:

Natalie Gillett: promoted to Fire Medic
Joe Patava: promoted to Engineer
Ted Bolten: promoted to Engineer

We're proud of the efforts these three have put in to reach their new positions!

One of the things we love about Des Moines is the variety of events.

Yesterday, our crews witnessed the dedication and training pay off for thousands of Ironman athletes, and ensure the safety of both participants and spectators!

Congratulations to all who competed yesterday!

It was hard to miss this sight on DSM’s SE side this evening.

Tonight, we responded to a salvage yard fire that engulfed dozens of vehicles in a large area of flames with heavy smoke.

There were no injuries or occupied structures involved.

Thanks to our firefighters who responded to get this situation under control!

Do you know what it means to "church" the ladder?

After today, members of the 101st recruit class sure do!

These recruits completed this aerial milestone in their fire suppression school journey this afternoon.

Don't worry, the recruits are tethered in and safe during this exercise - we'll share video of the challenge tomorrow.

Congrats, 101st!

A perfect day to practice on the river.

With water levels this high, our Water Emergency Team (WET) had the opportunity to train in swift water this week.

The last three days, some of our most experienced boat operators taught and challenged our WET team to perform technical maneuvers in dynamic environments in downtown Des Moines.

Thanks to our teams for their dedication - we learned, trained and got better this week!

More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital each year.

What would you do if you saw someone suffer cardiac arrest? Your answer could be lifesaving.

This week is CPR and AED Awareness week - and we want you to know the two simple steps you can take to save a life.

If you find yourself in this situation, any help you can provide could give the gift of survival to someone else.

Our team provides medical assistance at hundreds of special events per year.

This morning, this group was assisting the medical team at the finish line of one of Des Moines’ most iconic races, the Dam to DSM.

We loved seeing the thousands of runners cross the finish line and took pride in helping make sure each runner had a safe and healthy race.

Congratulations, runners!

🚨🚨🚨See below for information about phone outages. 🚨🚨🚨

**Note that emergency calls from wireless phones are still being received. If you have an emergency, make your call from a wireless phone.

A one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another one-mile run, all done while wearing a weighted vest.

These firefighters made our annual Memorial Day Murph workout look easy today!

Thanks to Firefighters Dicks, Bump, Eslick and Flickinger who were so ready for the workout it's hard to tell which photo is pre and which one is post-workout.

Good work this morning!

Be careful on the roads and stay alert this morning.

We are getting reports of tree limbs and power lines down across Des Moines from strong overnight storms.

Do not approach power lines and be aware of potential hazards in the road.

Friday night, the DMFD family gathered to celebrate.

We celebrated our city's dispatchers, Des Moines Police officers, firefighters, paramedics and EMT's who contributed to lifesaving efforts over the past year.

Over 175 awards were given out on the night which goes to show how many amazing men and women work as first responders in our city.

Thank you for everything you do, every day!