Des Moines Fire Department

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 Remembering 9/11: 25 Years Later 🇺🇸

Twenty-five years ago, our world changed forever. It was one of those generational moments that was both tragic and galvanizing.

Americans rallied together behind a singular purpose, recognizing the immense sacrifice of those in public safety and the military. Thousands lost loved ones to a senseless act of violence.

Firefighters take an oath to protect their neighbors, knowing that oath may someday require an extreme risk to uphold that promise. No one knows when or how that day will come, but for 343 of New York's Finest and hundreds more who have passed since, it came on September 11, 2001, when they climbed hundreds of stairs to rescue thousands of civilians and ultimately gave their lives for their neighbors.

This day holds deep significance for all Americans and especially for the fire service. It represents the resolve of the American firefighter, the willingness to live out that oath and the profound impact it can have on the lives of people never met. The Des Moines Fire Department invites the community to take a moment today to reflect on the importance of 9/11, the oath firefighters take, and how we can honor those who came before us.

Each year, the official commemoration ceremony at the World Trade Center observes seven moments of silence marking the key events of that day:
▪️8:46 a.m. - Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower.
▪️9:03 a.m. - Hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower.
▪️9:37 a.m. - Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
▪️9:59 a.m. - The South Tower collapsed.
▪️10:03 a.m. - Passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 stormed the cockpit to retake control; the plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
▪️10:28 a.m. - The North Tower collapsed, leaving the 16-acre World Trade Center site in ruins. Rescue efforts began immediately.
▪️A seventh moment of silence, following the reading of the names, honors those lost to 9/11-related health effects.

Today, members of the Des Moines Fire Department will join in a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., commemorating the moment our world changed forever.

Let us celebrate the lives of those who sacrificed so much, honor their memories and NEVER FORGET.

09/03/2026

Today, our crew from station 1 traded the firehouse for Blank Children's Hospital...all to bring a little joy and wonder to one brave little boy. ❤️

Preston is fighting an aggressive form of cancer with more courage than most adults could imagine. So when we heard he loved fire trucks, we knew exactly what to do.

Our firefighters rolled out the engines and ambulance right outside his window, then raised the ladder bucket all the way up so Preston could see them face-to-face (well, window-to-bucket), show off his muscles, give a couple waves and some hand hearts.

Preston and family, you have all of DMFD in your corner.
Keep fighting, buddy - Des Moines is cheering you on. 💪🔥

08/31/2026

🌡️Polk County Extreme Temperature Plan Activated🌡️

Beginning at noon today, August 31 through at least Saturday, September 5, the Polk County Extreme Temperature Plan will be in effect, based on the forecast.

Residents can expect afternoon highs to reach the mid 90's with heat indexes soaring toward 100°-103° with the possibility of scattered thunderstorms throughout the week.

Please take precautions when spending time outdoors by staying hydrated, limiting strenuous activity when possible, checking on elderly loved ones and ensuring pets have access to water and cooler spaces.

Resources available:
▪️DART provides free rides to warming and cooling centers
▪️Warming and Cooling Centers provide space to seek respite from the cold or heat. A map of the extreme temperature centers, and their operating hours can be found at https://maps.polkcountyiowa.gov/extreme

Stay cool out there this week, DSM

Today begins a hot and humid week across the state. A Heat Advisory is in effect for portions of central and southern Iowa, where heat is expected to be most prolonged throughout the week and persistent through the overnights. Several consecutive days of afternoon highs in the mid 90s are possible, along with heat index values from 100-103 and near-record warm overnight low temperatures in some locations. There will also be chances for thunderstorms at times mainly in the overnight and morning hours. Plan ahead this week, stay hydrated, and limit strenuous outdoor activity!

08/24/2026

⚠️1,218,834⚠️ — the ALL-TIME RECORD number of people who entered the Iowa State Fairgrounds over the past 11 days, and the number the DMFD prepared for to provide medical and rescue care.

Members of the DMFD staff the fairgrounds 24/7 during fairtime in Des Moines and remain ready for anything. Most visits to our first-aid stations are for minor needs...cream for an insect bite, a Band-aid for a scraped knee or a place to cool down and hydrate after overheating...but our crews are prepared for any type of response.

With the addition of our Assistant Medical Director, Dr. Matt Bentz from Iowa Methodist Medical Center, joining crews every night at the fair to respond to medical emergencies, the number of patients needing hospital transport was greatly reduced. Dr. Bentz jumped right into life-saving action with his very first weekend at the fair, began with successfully resuscitating a fairgoer from cardiac arrest. ❤️

Fairtime Data:
• 993 encounters at First Aid
• 363 EMS calls, with 64 transported to the hospital
• ~48 average calls per day
• 40 total calls to the Grandstand, with 10% resulting in hospital transport

We had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone enjoy a little bit of sweet Iowa summertime! Thank you for all the high fives, waves, fist bumps, questions, photos and conversations! And a HUGE thank you to all of our partners out there that serve right alongside us, keeping everyone safe in our city!

We'll see you next year, DSM... same time, same place... with even weirder new foods (we suspect)! 🌽

08/20/2026

🛠️Structural Rescue Response on the Southside 🛠️

Yesterday afternoon, on the southeast side of the city, a vehicle left the parking lot and crashed into a multi-level senior living community. The vehicle struck a steel main support column and damaged the structural framing of the upper floors.

DMFD crews treated and transported the driver for medical care, then quickly evacuated residents from the units above the damaged area after noticing the floor beginning to sag.

Stabilizing a compromised multi-story structure takes a lot of equipment, so we called our friends at Urbandale Fire Department who arrived with the needed tools to help secure the damaged support beam and framing.

With the structure stabilized, the building was able to be inspected for further damage and determined that portion of the building isn't currently safe for residents. Those displaced are being supported by Polk County Emergency Management Agency, Iowa.

Great teamwork today between DMFD - Urbandale FD - and Polk County EMA to keep residents safe and cared for after this accident.👏

08/19/2026

DMFD + MEDICAP = 🤝

Thanks to Medicap Home Medical's generous donation of 50+ Firesafe firebreaks, more home oxygen users in Des Moines are now better protected against life-threatening fires.

Thermal fuses (also known as firebreak valves or fire stop valves) are safety devices connected inline to oxygen tubing. If the tubing were to catch fire, the heat of the flame physically melts the internal fuse, shutting off the oxygen flow and preventing the fire from reaching the oxygen tank, protecting the user.

Did you know…?

▪️1,000+ people are treated for burns from home oxygen fires each year.
▪️100–150 people lose their lives in home oxygen fires each year.
▪️Home oxygen users in the U.S. are 19x more likely to die in a fire than those in England, where thermal fuses are mandatory.
▪️Firebreaks cost just a few dollars to install and last five years.

A sincere THANK YOU to the team at the 2nd Avenue MEDICAP Home Medical location...your care and donation to DMFD for Des Moines residents is greatly appreciated. ❤️

08/18/2026

We're proud to be part of this walkthrough of the new DSM International Airport terminal's fire protection systems with our partners at FSC!

Getting an inside look at the systems designed to keep passengers and crews safe and talking through response tactics, security coordination, and evacuation planning is exactly the kind of collaboration that makes projects like this successful - and prepped for anything.

Great work by our Fire Prevention team members O'Brien, Captain Lyons and Lieutenant Emery, and a big thank you to FSC for the partnership.

08/13/2026

Check out the final scenario in our "Behind the Response" mini-series...and it couldn't be better timed…

Why do we send a fire truck (or fire engine) to an EMS call?

1️⃣ It gets the closest unit on scene as fast as possible.
2️⃣ Our fire trucks and engines are also stocked with EMS equipment, so medical care can start immediately.
3️⃣ It takes 8 highly-trained crew members to give a cardiac arrest patient the best possible outcome and keep DMFD crews safe at the same time.

Today kicks off the Iowa State Fair, and you'll find DMFD crews across the fairgrounds every day, ready to respond to ANY type of call...cardiac arrest included.

Stop by and say hi to us at the fire station or first aid stations - give us a wave if you see us out on the medical carts or ambulances, or give us a fist bump if you catch us out on a corndog or funnel cake mission. 🎡

08/07/2026

Check out our next type of emergency in the "Behind the Response" mini-series, showing exactly what it takes to handle the calls we respond to every day!

Last week, we broke down the scene of a Vehicle Extrication rescue, this week, we're diving into the details of a Swiftwater Rescue Operation....

How often does our Water Emergency Team (WET) get called out in DSM? 20–30 times a year.

River, ice, lake and flood (just like we had in early July) waters are some of the most dangerous situations our first responders encounter.

Firefighters from Stations 2 (Capital East) and Station 6 (South Central) house our specially trained Water Emergency Team, ready to respond whenever someone is caught in the current.

It takes 18 rescue crew members to run a swiftwater rescue safely…for the victim and for our WET.

08/06/2026

Congratulations are in order for DMFD's newest Lieutenant, Tasha Law, who was promoted during this morning's ceremony!

What a well-deserved and incredible promotion - our community is lucky to have such a great addition to the leadership crew.

Please join us in congratulating Lieutenant Law! 🎉