The Mapaville Fire Protection District’s plan to hold a 20th Anniversary Open House – like so many other plans these days – was thwarted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
“It is what it is,” Fire Chief Dave Brown said. “There’s not much we can do about it. We need to be smart about not exposing ourselves or the public to the virus. That’s the name of the game right now.”
Brown said the district is hoping to incorporate the anniversary celebration, including a dedication of its new pavilion, into the district’s annual Fire Prevention Week celebration in October.
“That’s still up in the air,” Brown said. “We’ll have to see how things are.”
The new pavilion is about 30 by 50 feet, complete with barbecue pits and picnic tables, and firefighters completed construction on it in the spring. The Hillsboro School District used it as a staging area to distribute food to families during the early part of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The Mapaville Fire Protection District was formed in 2000 when voters approved a tax levy to build the station, staffed then with an all-volunteer force. A tax increase approved in 2015 provided for the hiring of full-time firefighters and staff.
Homes in the district previously had been protected through the efforts of the Mapaville Fire Association, formed in 1952 and supported through the sale of fire tags. That group is still active, now holding fundraisers to buy equipment and supplies for the district.
“The Fire Association provided the funds to build the pavilion, about $25,000,” Fire Commissioner Andy Brown said. “They also contributed $10,000 to the purchase of a trailer for the Jefferson County Training Academy.”
He said the association also pays for all the dinners and social events held by the district, as well as all the fire prevention materials used during Fire Prevention Week and for tours, school and community outreach.
The group’s ongoing fundraising effort includes the sale of several items: Road signs for $15, MFPD Challenge coins for $10 and leather portable radio microphone carriers, donated by Circle “B” Leather Designs, for $10.
Carrie Wolk was the winner of a recent raffle for a Springfield 9M Hellcat pistol with an approximate retail value of $550, purchased at a discount from Alpha Omega Firearms in Festus.
Fundraising items are available in person at the fire station during business hours, through any Mapaville firefighter or on the Mapaville Fire Association’s Facebook page.
The association’s most recent project was helping stock the fire station with food.
“A lot of the firefighters, their spouses are laid off,” Chief Dave Brown said. “(The fire association) didn’t want them to worry about meals. So they made it possible for me to go out and buy a freezer full of food so the guys don’t have to keep going out time and again to Walmart or whatever. It’s safer and cheaper for them to make meals here.”
New ordinance
The Mapaville Fire Protection District enacted its first-ever fire code ordinance in July. The Board of Directors voted 4-0 in favor of the ordinance, which allows the district to perform commercial fire inspections and to be included in commercial and residential planning.
“It means we will have input into new subdivisions about things like hydrant placement and flow rates, fire lanes, road width, that kind of thing,” he said. “There is a rezoning proposal that will be voted on Sept. 10 for the Bridle Creek subdivision, at the corner of Hwy. A and Sandy Valley Road. It’s something like 297 homes, and there are townhomes as well. We’ll get to be in on the pre-plans for that.”
Brown said the ordinance eventually could improve the district’s ISO (Insurance Offices Service) rating, which could possible translate into lower homeowners’ insurance policies.