Wood Heights Fire Protection District is located in Ray County Missouri just East of Excelsior Springs, Mo. We are a 100% volunteer dept covering 51 square miles of response area. We provide full fire suppression services, first responder services, and rescue services to approx 5500 residents. We provide both city coverage as well as rural coverage. Our department was founded in 1972 and started as an association initially. The department changed to a fire district in 1992 which is supported by county tax basis.
In 2004 our department received a FEMA AFG grant to purchase a new front line pumper truck. The truck is the FIRST brand new pumper the department has ever owned. The new truck has enabled the department to increase its reliability of response to calls and efficiency with newer equipment that has less down time. The new truck is more functional and has room to carry more equipment and man power with a single vehicle. The new truck also has a bigger pump to increase the GPM we are able to pump from a single truck.
The department has currently 1 front line pumpers, 1 3000 gallon pumper/tanker, 1 2800 gallon tankers, 1 off road pumper/brush truck, 1 light duty brush truck, and a rescue/command vehicle. Currently we are trying to find a grant to fund a thermal imaging camera to increase the departments ability to search buildings faster for hidden fires, extension into walls, and also victims in buildings and outside in wooded areas. We are also looking to expand our rescue equipment to include air bags & hydralic rams to use during motor vehicle accidents & other situations which may need the use of this equipment.
The department currently has an Insurance ISO rating of 9. We are currently working on a long term plan to help reduce this with the expansion of department personel, newer vehicles, & increased hydrant locations throughout the district. We are planning tentatively to do an ISO rating this winter which we are going to try to decrease the districts rating to a 7 if possible.
