Muscatine honoring retiring fire chief at open house at City Hall
Muscatine invites the public to celebrate Fire Chief Jerry Ewers and his 36-plus years of dedicated public service at an Open House reception on April 29 from 4 – 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Muscatine City Hall, 215 Sycamore Street. Ewers recently announced his retirement effective April 30, 2025.
Ewers was the eighth Fire Chief since the Muscatine Fire Department became a paid department in 1916. His predecessors include J.J. Brown (1916-1941), Harold Bierman (1941-1947), Paul Meerdink (1947-1954), Alex Bender (1954-1975), Paul Ziegenhorn (1975-1984), James Pumfrey (1985-1991), and Steve Dalbey (1991-2009).
Ewers spent his entire career with the Muscatine Fire Department, starting on July 18, 1988, and advancing through every rank: Firefighter, EMS Coordinator, Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief, and finally Fire Chief in 2009. He holds an associate of arts degree in Fire Science, a bachelor's degree in Fire Administration, is a credentialed Fire Officer and graduated from the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. He was named Firefighter of the Year by the Muscatine Journal and Career Individual of the Year by the Iowa EMS Association. He also contributed to the International Association of Fire Chiefs' document, Enhancing Fire-Based EMS.
He also served as Interim City Administrator and Interim Deputy City Clerk for the City of Muscatine from October to December 2019 and as Interim Emergency Management Agency Manager for Muscatine County from June to October 2018. He has been a member of the Iowa EMS Association Board since 2008 and served two terms each as President and Vice-President, as well as Immediate Past President. He also served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Iowa Association of Professional Fire Chiefs from 2017 to 2020.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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