Latest news with #St.JosephFireDepartment
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of St. Joseph names new Fire Chief
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph Fire Department's new leader is coming from within its ranks. Ivan Klippenstein has been named the department's new chief. Klippenstein joined the SJFD in January of 2002 and has served in several roles, including firefighter, first responder, confined space technician, driver and captain. He has been a training officer with the department since October 2019. Klippenstein began his career with the Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, Fire Company as a volunteer firefighter in 1989. He also worked as an EMT in the community. He joined the Lewistown, Idaho, Rural Fire Service as a volunteer wildland firefighter in 1990 and has been a member of the Central DeKalb County Fire Protection District since 1998, serving as its chief from 2002 to 2005. Klippenstein was a firefighter at Rosecrans Memorial Airport from 2001 to 2002 and taught firefighting, HAZMAT and first responder courses as an adjunct instructor at Hillyard Technical Center from 2003 to 2007. I've been involved in fire service since I was 17 in some form, and there's a lot of good coming in the St. Joseph Fire Department that I look forward to leading," said Klippenstein, in a press release from the City. "I want to create involvement and inspire people. I think many would like to participate, and they just need to be given the opportunity." Klippenstein will lead a staff of about 130 in St. Joseph and was chosen from a pool of 20 applicants, which included three internal candidates. St. Joseph City Manager, Mike Schumacher said Klippenstein's experience in training set him apart form other candidates. "Ivan is the right person to move our fire department forward," Schumacher said in a press release. "We want to take care of our professional and hardworking firefighters by making sure they are equipped with training that prioritizes their safety and that of our citizens. Klippenstein's appointment is effective Monday, May 19. His salary will be $140,000. He replaces Kenny Cordonnier, who retired on April 4, 2025.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Budget planning shifts to public safety departments, including police and fire
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Public safety funding will take center stage at City Hall Thursday evening as budget planning shifts to St. Joseph's police and fire departments for day three of discussions. Councilmembers and city leaders will return from a one-day break and resume FY2026 budget talks from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 8. As mentioned previously, overall Public Safety funding will experience a recorded budget decrease of roughly $16.6 million as the result of planned budget policy changes such as the elimination of fund transfers, particularly for the Public Safety and the Police Tax funds. This change resulted in marked decreases in budgeted revenues and expenditures by fund to align with this new policy. Ultimately, the budgeted amounts by function are consistent with prior years. * St. Joseph Fire Department: $19.4 million budgeted ($27% decrease). * St. Joseph Police Department: $25.1 million budgeted (26% decrease). Early this week, City Manager Mike Schumacher communicated to councilmembers his desire to increase funding for additional fire department training in fiscal year 2026. The department recorded an all time high in training hours in 2025 as it successfully filled open positions. Along with police and fire, a $4.7 million budget for the St. Joseph Health Department, a projected 9.5% decrease from last year, will also be brought up for further discussion, including funding talks for general health services and animal control. A finalized budget is expected to go before City Council for first reading on May 27 followed by a final vote on June 9. Fire Department planned initiatives: * Present a fleet replacement proposal to plan for the spread of financial burden while continuing to replace the aging fleet. * Serve on a federal task force to identify best practice for FD response to homelessness. * Begin to create specifications for a new ladder truck to serve the west side as part of the CIP plan (3-year build-time). * Pursue a partnership with MWSU or NCMC in the creation of a fire academy for local recruitment. Police Department planned initiatives * Initiated a large-scale project to procure body-worn cameras and to replace vehicle and interview room cameras. * Continue to move forward with our mission to become accredited with the Missouri Police Chief's Association. * Remain focused on plans to replace the aging fleet and provide members with the most functional patrol vehicles. Stay with us as we continue to update this story post-meeting.
