Welcome to the official website of the Scales Mound Fire Protection District (SMFPD). Dating back to 1907 and formally organized on , the fire district covers an area of 110 square miles in north central Jo Daviess County and operates from three fire stations located in the:
- Village of Scales Mound (Station 1),
- The Galena Territory (Station 2), and
- Apple Canyon Lake (Station 3)
The Scales Mound Fire District serves its communities and neighboring areas (MABAS) with:
- Fire supression, including:
- Structural firefighting
- Wildland firefighting
- Non-transport Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
- Vehicle extracation
- Hazardous materials mitigation
- Rapid Intervention Team (RIT)
- Dive Team & water rescue
- Fire prevention
- Fire investigation
- Fire inspections
- Public education
All firefighters are volunteers. Primary funding for the fire district comes from a tax levy, supplemented with fundraising events organized by each station. The Chief, Al Busch, holds operational control and leadership for the Fire District, supported by his officers. Administration of the Scales Mound Fire Protection District is organized into two branches.
The District Board oversees the administration of the Fire District and its tax levy. It is comprised of a Board of Commissioners made up of three trustees including a president, treasurer and secretary. These trustees are appointed by the Jo Daviess County Board Chairman. The district also employes a maintenance technician and an administrative assistant.
Additionally, the three stations each have their own executive committees to coordinate fundraising events, officer elections, selecting firefighter awards, and other station matters; following discussion, voting is carried out by the membership of each station.