Pennington named Monett fire chief

Veteran captain offers views on department future growth
The City of Monett has named Brandon Pennington as its new fire chief.
Pennington was sworn in as interim fire chief on May 15, following an announcement earlier in the week. He was subsequently named chief.
Since the resignation of John Vincent as chief on March 28, the department had been managed by its captains.
Pennington has been with the department for 15 years. On Jan. 28, he resigned as chief of the Monett Rural Fire District, a position he held for three years.
Fire department Captain Dustin Stellwagen has been named captain of operations.
Pennington said in his view, qualities needed for a good fire chief are “strong leadership, integrity and honesty, dedication and accountability, being a team player, compassion and empathy.”
He identified his three top priorities. He listed staffing and retention at the top.
“Both staffing and retention are interconnected,” Pennington said. “A well-staffed team, coupled with strong retention practices, leads to a more productive, stable, and successful organization.”
Next, he addressed the city’s rating under the Insurance Services Office (ISO). “Our ISO rating needs to be lowered,” he continued. “The city is currently rated ISO 4. We can lower it to an ISO 3. This will take time, money, and teamwork, but with planning, it can be done. This will also help the city to grow in the future, bringing businesses and residential into the city.”
Third, Pennington listed customer service. He identified that as “truly caring about the well-being of the community, going above and beyond; consistently providing exceptional service.” He saw that as a reflection of a high level of professionalism and “competence in all interactions.”
Pennington had definite ideas as to where he would like to see the department a decade from now. He would like to see a third station built on the north side of town, in the vicinity of North Park. He noted that development has been discussed since the city’s 1996 comprehensive plan. In addition to lowering the insurance rating, Pennington noted the fire department last had a staffing increase in 1998, building each of the three shifts from four firefighters to five. He sees growing the department as a key ingredient in the next decade.
In a similar vein, City Administrator Mickey Ary reported, “On Saturday, May 17, the Fire Department conducted physical and aptitude tests on eight firefighters and two captain applicants. The firefighter positions and the captain position are open positions within our current operating budget approved by [City] Council.”
Pennington added that in the coming decade, he would also like to see the city add a training facility where firefighters could better prepare themselves for emergencies. “This training facility would also benefit the surrounding districts to use as well, to help with their training hours. This would also grow relationships with surrounding districts by getting stronger and by doing multi-company training. This would also allow the fire department to host training classes in the city.”
Looking forward, Pennington would like to see a partnership with the Scott Regional Technology Center to start a Firefighter 1 and 2 academy. “This would also benefit students who have an interest in the fire service career,” he said, “so students would have a career opportunity right after high school.”
Pennington saw long-range growth including a bigger annual budget for operations and training. He would like to see an apparatus replacement plan. “The fire department’s oldest truck in the fleet is a 1989 Pierce Dash, still in service, that Chief James Nolan purchased. But that is not the only apparatus out of date in the fleet,” he noted.
He also saw value in switching from the current radio system to the one run by the Missouri Statewide Interoperability Network (MOSWIN), resulting in better coverage and keeping up with technology changes “for the safety of our firefighters.”
Pennington concluded, “I want to continue to work stronger and together with the mayor, city council members, and the city administrator by planning public safety to ensure the citizens have the best protection with the best customer service that the Monett Fire Department has to offer.”